My Monochrome Existence
by Yuna-and-Stefie
Summary: Anastasia's parents are dead. Now living as an orphan, she's sent to live with her crabby aunt. Over time she loses her ability to see colors and the new exchange student is also driving her crazy. Without knowing it, she's slowly growing into depression.
1. Chapter One: An Unexpected Call

_This is our attempt at a modern drama|romance featuring Anya, Dimitri, Phlegmenkoff, and other characters, most of which arose from the depths of our imaginations. [The disclaimer is listed in the Yuna-and-Stefie profile.] We hope you enjoy our story as much as we enjoy writing it! Always feel free to review and offer constructive criticism, for it greatly helps and we enjoy getting reviews! Happy reading! _

_Sincerely,_

_Yuna Lee and Stefie D._

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**Prologue**

"Anastasia! What have I told you time and time again?"

"Wha..."

"Child, stop daydreaming!"

"I'm sorry...I just..."

"I don't want to hear it. Go upstairs."

Anastasia nodded and carried a cardboard box up her aunt's old, creaky stairs. She tried desperately to push down the dull handle and push open her door. The door squeaked open and her cream-colored cat rushed into the musky room. She dropped her box of valuable possessions on her frumpy, hard bed. The box bounced, but Anastasia didn't notice. She wandered over to a window overlooking the ocean. She watched the rain trickle against the glass. It was just like that dreaded night. So many memories came flashing back... Anastasia fell to her knees and wept.

* * *

**Chapter One: An Unexpected Call**

Anastasia laughed with Cassie, her dorm roommate. Suddenly Anastasia's cell phone rang. "Hold on," she said as she glanced at the caller ID. A look of panic filled her face.

"Ana, what is it? What's wrong?"

"It's my dad..." she murmured as she glanced at her watch. "It's 11:30. He never calls this late."

"Answer it!"

Anastasia sighed and flipped open her phone. "Hello?"

"Yes, is this Anastasia Greene?"

"Yes, yes, this is Anastasia Greene. Who are you?" she demanded, panic flowing forth from her voice. Why in the world would a stranger have her father's phone?

"I'm sorry, but I'm Lieutenant Carl Weinberg of the San Francisco Homicide Department."

The phone slipped from her hand and hit the wooden floor with a loud clatter.

"Hello? Ms. Greene?"

Anastasia was a frozen sculpture, eyes wide and unblinking. Cassie, wondering what was going on, picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ms. Greene?"

"No, this is her friend. Ana's not doing so well right now. Can I take a message?"

"I sent a cruiser to swing by and pick up Ms. Greene. She is needed immediately at San Francisco General."

**O~o~O**

Anastasia rushed through the waiting room, ignoring the stares of the few people sitting on the benches filling the room. She raced up to the receptionist's desk, panting, "I'm Anastasia Greene and I have to see Lieutenant Carl Weinberg!"

A man abruptly stood up from his chair. "Ms. Greene, I'm Lieutenant Weinberg."

"What happened? What happened to my father?" she asked as she pushed aside the wet strands of hair that were plastered to her face from the heavy rain outside. At that moment, Cassie, exhausted from trying to keep up with her friend, skidded to a stop behind Anastasia.

The lieutenant's tone was calm, but his eyes slowly gave himself away. Anastasia felt her own eyes fill with tears which were threatening to spill and overflow. Never having seen her friend in this much despair, Cassie braced herself for what might be to come. The lieutenant finally broke the silence. "Your father and mother were shot in a drive-by shooting."

"What!" Anastasia yelped. "Both of them?"

Cassie placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Ana, go sit down, I'll..."

"No, Cassie, I want to hear it for myself... Lieutenant Weinberg, are they...are..."

"I'm afraid that your father died on the scene, Ms. Greene."

Holding back tears of her own, Cassie outstretched her arms as she offered her friend a hug. Anastasia took the offer and cried softly onto her friend's shoulder. Cassie looked up, a slight hope ringing in her now shallow voice, "So, her mother is still alive?"

The lieutenant was slow to answer, finally responding, "Mrs. Greene is in critical condition."

Anastasia flipped around, her eyes wide on her tear-stained face, as she declared, "I want to see my mother."

Lieutenant Weinberg shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no one can go into the Operating Room but the surgeons, Ms. Gr..."

"Fine, when she comes out, I want to see my mother. Immediately," she said decidedly, her sharp blue eyes glaring through him. He nodded in agreement, not wanting to dispute with the stubborn girl.

Just then a doctor exited the Operating Room. Quietly approaching the group, he whispered something to the lieutenant.

"What? What? _What?_" Anastasia snapped, wanting to know what exactly what was happening.

"Are you Ms. Greene?" the surgeon questioned softly and sympathetically.

The girl nodded and curtly replied, "Yes."

"I'm sorry, but your mother died in surgery."


	2. Chapter Two: A New Student

Chapter Two: A New Student

Anastasia solemnly opened her box. Most of her possessions were at her dorm, so she didn't have much to unpack. She removed some sweaters and hung them in the closet. She returned and was about to pull out her grandmother's quilt when suddenly her cat jumped on top of the faded blue silk. Anastasia sighed and allowed herself a smile. She picked up the cat and set him near the window. The cat was stubborn and ran back to where it had been sitting. Her smile vanished. "Mr. Jingles, get off!" she scolded as she yanked the quilt out from under the cat.

Mr. Jingles screeched and hissed before curling up in a defensive pose. She pushed him aside, ignoring the defiant feline.

"Anastasia, what was that?" her aunt called up the stairs.

"What was what? I didn't hear anything," she replied.

There was no answer. Fearful her aunt was coming up the stairs, she shoved Mr. Jingles back in the box and closed the lid. She waited for a few moments, but her aunt did not appear. She breathed a sigh of relief before reopening the box. Mr. Jingles immediately jumped out and scampered under the bed.

As a result of her aunt's intolerance for cats, Anastasia told her aunt that she had given Mr. Jingles to a friend. Anastasia had lied, of course.

Anastasia refolded her grandmother's old quilt and placed it in her dresser. She wandered back to her box and glanced inside. Staring up at her was her family. She lifted the photo and studied it. Her father and mother looked so happy. _She_ looked so happy. She placed the photograph on her bed stand. Peering back inside the box she pulled out an old letter addressed to her. Anastasia slowly opened it and read the cursive writing:

_My dear Anastasia, your father and I just want you to know that we wish you the very best! How is college? We hope you are making many new friends and that you are learning much. Remember, no matter how far away your dreams take you, we will always have each other. Love you,_

_Mom and Dad_

Anastasia read the letter again and studied the family photograph once more, as if staring at it would somehow give her a miracle. She sighed and collapsed on her bed, but there was no give. "Oww!"

* * *

"And then I was like, 'We could totally work something out.' And he was like, 'Of course.' So, we are going to the movies _this_ Saturday! Ana, can you believe it!? Ana?"

Anastasia snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, I'm sorry. What?"

Cassie came to a halt in front of her friend and stared her straight in the face. "Ana, you need to seriously take some time off and go on a vacation."

Anastasia sighed. "Cassie, I already discussed this with you." She picked up her gait again. "I can't take a vacation with my courses."

Her friend was about to retort, but Anastasia stopped her. "And besides, even if I _could_ go, I can't leave my aunt. She _needs_ me, Cassie."

Cassie scoffed. "Pshaw! Yeah right! She doesn't need you, Ana. She's a controlling _freak_! Girl, you need to take some serious downtime and move in with my family."

Anastasia shot a skeptical glance at her friend.

"Okay, so I didn't ask my parents if that is OK with them, but my parents are cool. I'm sure they'd be fine with it."

"Cassie, she needs me."

"Ahhh. You know what the problem with you is? You're too stubborn."

Anastasia managed to smile. "Yeah, that's true. I get that from my dad."

Cassie kept talking. "So stubborn, in fact, that that is the reason why you don't have a boyfriend."

Anastasia blushed and picked up her pace.

"Ana? Ana! Where are you going?"

She turned around. "Come on, we're going to be late for class!"

Both girls trotted into the classroom and took their seats side-by-side. Anastasia, not wanting to talk about the previous topic, hastily opened her biology textbook and studiously examined the page. Cassie took the signal and went on with her business. That is, she started up a conversation with Crystal, known to the seniors as the "Gossip Empress." Anastasia ignored them.... She didn't care for useless knowledge.

". . . and Eric said there is a new kid in school."

"Um, what's so great about that?"

"Supposedly a foreign exchange student is coming...." She lowered her voice. "from the Soviet Union."

Anastasia tried to suppress a laugh; she couldn't ignore the slip. Cassie smiled, pretending to understand the whole ordeal. She then shot a glance at Anastasia and rolled her eyes. Anastasia caught the glance out of her peripheral vision and grinned.

Crystal was definitely not in college for her smarts. She got a scholarship for her acting skills. The college needed a leading actress in the field of drama, and Crystal fit the part perfectly.

Cassie turned back to face Crystal. "So, what grade is the new kid in?"

Crystal twirled a strand of her curly black hair. She popped her gum before responding, "The new girl is supposed to be in this class, so...she's a senior."

The door swung open and Professor Castillo entered. Cassie and Crystal flipped around and faced the professor. He swept the room with his eyes and seemed to momentarily consider something. He hurried back out of the classroom and disappeared. Cassie and Crystal stared questioningly at the open door. He quickly poked his head back in and smiled.

"Students, we have a new pupil joining us today."

Crystal smiled slyly, giving Cassie an "I-told-you-so" glance.

"Dimitri, you can come in...."

Dimitri swaggered into the classroom and smiled at the class.

Cassie felt as if she lost her breath. Anastasia was absorbed in her reading and didn't pick up on what her friend was experiencing. Crystal's smile was quickly replaced with a scowl.

"Dimitri," Professor Castillo pronounced, "please tell the class where you are from."

"Hello, everyone. I am a foreign exchange student from Russia."

All the girls swooned over his accent. All the girls, that is, except for Anastasia and Crystal. Anastasia was finishing up her lesson and honestly could have cared less. Crystal, on the other hand, cared very much so. "Wait a minute, that can't be right!"

Dimitri stared at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"You're supposed to be a girl from the Soviet Union!"

Some of the students snickered viciously. Dimitri, puzzled, looked at the professor, who in turn shrugged. Crystal, defeated, slumped in her chair and ignored the stares she was receiving.

"Okay people, let's get started."

"Um, sir, where shall I sit?"

"Hum?"

"Where shall I sit?" Dimitri politely asked again.

The Professor had been distracted by Crystal's blunder. He suddenly turned his attention back to the new student standing beside him. "Oh, yes. Dimitri, you shall sit right behind Miss Anastasia. She is the one with her nose in a book."

Hearing her name spoken, Anastasia raised her eyes and smiled. "Yes, Professor Castillo?" A few of her classmates snickered and giggled, leaving Anastasia with a confused look on her face.

"Dimitri, please take the seat behind her."

Dimitri did as told and Biology class was begun.

After the bell rang, class ended and Anastasia and Cassie placed their books in their packs.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later on in Spanish class, Ana."

"Yep, same as always." Anastasia smiled as she bid a farewell to her friend, "Hasta luego!"

Cassie laughed out loud as she left the classroom. Anastasia left shortly afterwards, followed by Dimitri.

*** * ***

About two hours later, Anastasia and Cassie left their Spanish classroom together. It was hard to hear each other over the chattering of the squirrelly sounding classmates trailing behind them.

"Finally, lunch!" Cassie exclaimed as they walked to the cafeteria. Anastasia did not reply. She seemed lost in thought. "Ana, what do you think of that new guy Dimitri?"

"Well, Biology went well, all except for the times when he had to show off his knowledge."

Cassie's eyes widened. "Sounds to me like you have a prejudice against him."

"I wouldn't mind if he didn't talk so much. But I seriously did not know who was teaching that class; the professor or him? He seems like a show-off to me."

"Wow.... Every girl in that class thinks he is absolutely the best!"

"Well, that's what separates me from the rest of the female population in the school. I am not easily swayed. You should know that by now."

Cassie chuckled. "That's what I like about you, Ana. You make up for all the things I lack."

Anastasia laughed in unison. "Yeah, we do make a great pair."

They reached the cafeteria and ordered their meals. Their trays were soon filled and they found a table to sit at. They sat down and began eating, talking between bites.

Cassie looked up and saw Dimitri looking around for a place to sit. "Hum, seems like the new guy needs a place to sit."

"I'm sure he can find one; you know, with the mobs of girls and whatnot, it won't take long."

"Perhaps we should invite him over here."

"Oh, Cassie, please, no..."

"Hey, Dimitri, over here!" Cassie called.

He grinned and walked over to the table. Anastasia swore that his stride seemed overly confident. Upset, Anastasia's eyes filled with daggers. She aimed them at Cassie, who smiled innocently back. Dimitri sat across from the girls. "Thank you."

"Oh, it isn't a problem, Dimitri," Cassie answered in her sweetest tone.

Anastasia rolled her eyes at her friend.

Not wanting to hang around, Anastasia ate the rest of her lunch as fast as she could and left the table.

"Ana? Ana! Where you going?"

Anastasia continued walking, ignoring the calls from her friend whom she was leaving behind.

Cassie stood abruptly. "Bye, Dimitri! I'll see you later!" He nodded to her and she ran to catch up with Anastasia.

"Ana, what's the matter with you?" she huffed.

"Did you _hear_ him? During the entire lunch break, all he talked about were the many trophies that he's won ever since he left the cradle."

"Yeah...." Cassie sighed in a dreamy voice.

"Hey! Hey, wait!" The girls turned to the voice. It belonged to none other than Dimitri. He stopped his sprinting and ran his hand through his thick, brown hair, pushing it out of his eyes. Whereas Anastasia seemed to stare right through him, Cassie bit her lip. Dimitri smiled at Anastasia. "Does Biology have any upcoming projects?"

"Yes, one's coming up in a week or so."

"Excellent. See you there, Anya!" He then ran off to his next class, humming lightly to himself.

"Argh!" Anastasia moaned after he disappeared in the crowd.

Cassie stared at Anastasia with a gaping mouth.

Anastasia noticed her friend's dramatic gawk. "What now?"

"Oooh, _Anya_...."

"What are you getting at?"

"I think the new guy likes you, _Anya_."

"Well, I don't believe so. Besides, even if he does, he's got another thing coming. He doesn't understand that I'm not like the others. He's going to have to do more than talk about his personal success to win me over."

"Or perhaps he does understand you and he's like me...he likes _that_ quality in you." Cassie thought for a moment. "Ha ha, you two make an excellent pair!"

"Please, Cassie, let's get off this stupid topic," Anastasia pleaded with her friend as they entered the World History classroom.

* * *

_For this chapter, Yuna and I would like to know what you think about the characters. Feel free to make any other comments as well. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter Three: Biology Lab Partners

Chapter Three: Biology Lab Partners

A week passed, and Anastasia became more depressed than ever. Dimitri was infuriating in his "innocent" way; she decided that in order to keep Mr. Jingles, she had to hide him in her dorm; during the weekends she had to work at her aunt's apartment; the authorities still didn't have a lead on her parents' murderer; and to further complicate matters, her parents' funeral took place.

* * *

Monday morning she stormed into school. _"Great,"_ she thought to herself, _"I have_ _Biology today, and I bet a project will be assigned. Could this day get any more irritating?"_

"Ana, wait up!" Cassie called as she rushed through the school doors. "Not seeing you over the weekend is such a drag. I don't even get to see Mr. Chimes when you're gone." Anastasia smiled. Mr. Chimes was Cassie's nickname for Mr. Jingles.

"Sorry, but wherever I go, the cat goes."

Cassie shrugged lightly. She stared expectantly at Anastasia. "So, what do you think of my new sweater?"

"It's great. Love the lavender."

Cassie wrinkled her nose. "It's not lavender...it's a majestic purple."

Anastasia shrugged. "I'm sorry. I love the 'majestic' purple." Anastasia began walking toward the classroom.

Cassie followed, and in her pursuit she witnessed something that astounded her. Anastasia was entering the Biology classroom...at the same time as Dimitri. They collided, and Anastasia just kept walking, no apology or anything. But that wasn't what shocked her....

Anastasia took her usual seat and Dimitri sat directly behind her.

Anastasia noticed that Cassie walked into the room with an empty expression on her face. Cassie sat down quickly, and then whispered to her friend. "Ana, you know how I was teasing you about _Anya_ and whatnot?"

"Yeah, and if you're going to talk about it, it better be an apology."

"Anya," As soon as the word left her mouth, Cassie quickly corrected herself. "Ana, I saw you bump into Dimitri, and you should have seen the way he looked at you!"

"Cassie, that's enough."

"But listen!"

"Please."

Her friend nodded reluctantly and straightened up in her seat.

To the relief of both girls, Professor Castillo entered the classroom. "Hello, class. Let's get started."

*** * ***

". . . and so that is how eukaryotic cells developed. And now, for the class project." Several students groaned. "Your assignments are to research eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and then write a report comparing and contrasting them, saying how they helped influence the beginning of life on Earth through endosymbiosis; complete a lab assignment demonstrating the Miller-Urey experiment; and finally write a report on your results of the experiment. Several key items to note are that: One, Earth came into existence about 4.6 million years ago, and two, life first appeared on Earth about 3.5 million years ago.

"Give me five minutes to assign partners."

Anastasia and Cassie smiled at each other. Students started gossiping amongst themselves as the teacher shuffled through papers for the attendance list.

"Now, I don't want anybody to get upset with who he or she gets paired with. Furthermore, I don't want people to jubilate. Keep your thoughts to yourself. First group: Charles and Miranda. Second group:....

"Fourth group: Cassie and Crystal." Cassie and Crystal exchanged surprised glances. Anastasia's eyes widened. _"__This can't be possible." _"Fifth group: David and Tim. Sixth group: Anastasia and Dimitri." Anastasia didn't hear anything after that.

Dimitri smiled as he tapped Anastasia on her shoulder. "Anya, this is going to be so fun!"

"Yippee," she said less than half-heartedly. Fortunately, Dimitri did not pick up on her sarcastic tone.

* * *

After the bell rang, Anastasia stuffed her books into her backpack. She was still feeling grouchy about the project pairings.

"So, where are we meeting, your place or mine?" Dimitri asked.

Anastasia's eyebrows raised. "_Excuse_ me?"

"You know. Where are we meeting to get started on the project?"

"Oh, how about...um, let's see...how about neither!"

"What?"

Cassie leaned over from her desk. "She'll meet you in the park at six."

"Great! Thanks!" Dimitri left the classroom humming and grinning like the cat who swallowed the canary.

Anastasia radared a fierce glare at Cassie. "What did you do that for?!"

"Ana, you're stuck with him. One way or another, you're going to have to learn to get along. Or at least for this project."

"Or, I could ask Mr. Castillo if you and I could switch partners!"

"Um, no. First of all, that wouldn't be fair to Dimitri. Second of all, that wouldn't be fair to me.... I mean, Crystal would get to be partners with him!"

"Okay, on your second point, I could actually care less; I don't care if Crystal steals the egotistical man of your dreams. But, I guess you're right on that first point." She took a deep breath and sighed. "You're right, you're right. I'm just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it like a man…woman, I mean," she quickly corrected herself. "Who knows, perhaps I could learn a thing or two in the process. In a weird way, this might actually turn out to be fun!"

Cassie hugged her friend. "Have fun." She started to walk away. "Oh!" she exclaimed as a second thought popped into her head. "Please, at least try to make an effort."

"I'll try.... By the way, you have great tennis shoes. I love the hot pink! What is that, a new trend?"

"Yep, yep, that's true. It's really taking in Los Angeles," Cassie replied as she modeled her brand new shoes.

Anastasia giggled and left the classroom.

"Hey, Cassie," Crystal asked between the pops of her gum, "what's up with you and Ana? Your shoes are totally magenta, not anywhere near hot pink."

"I wish I knew," Cassie replied softly under her breath.

*** * ***

Dimitri sat in the park under the biggest oak he could find. He tapped his foot and glanced to the left, then to the right. He proceeded by looking at his watch. It read 6:05.

Anastasia paced impatiently in front of the fountain. _"__Where is Dimitri?"_ She looked up at the big clock. It read 6:05.

At 6:30 she sighed, picked up her notebook, and stormed off to her dormitory.

At 6:35 Dimitri kicked a stone near the path, thrust his notes into his backpack, slung it onto his shoulder, and then marched off to his dorm.

Anastasia stomped up the stairs to the fifth floor of the college dormitories.

Dimitri ran up the back stairs.

Anastasia reached the fifth floor and headed for Room 517.

Dimitri hit the fifth floor and sulked to Room 515.

Anastasia stared at the floor in her tirade.

Dimitri picked his head up as he reached his room.... "Hey!"

Anastasia looked up. "Whoa!"

They collided again.

Dimitri stared her in the eyes. "Watch where.... Anya, where were you?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, _Dimitri_. And, for the record, my name's Anastasia, _**NOT**_ Anya!" She pushed him aside and continued to walk. She pulled her keys out of her purse.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about." She jammed her key into her doorknob.

"No, I don't. Why are you mad at me?" He asked and reached for her arm.

"Just.... Look, don't talk about it, okay; it's only going to upset me." And with that, she slammed the door in his face and left him standing alone in the hallway.

Inside her dormitory, Anastasia dropped her bag on the floor. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and leaned against the metal door. Exhaling, her eyes opened to see two familiar faces staring up at her. Cassie, Crystal, and about a million papers were sprawled out on the floor. Crystal was popping her gum and petting Mr. Jingles.

"So, how did it go?" Cassie asked in her chipper way, though she pretty much already knew the answer.

"I'm going to bed...."

* * *

_So, what do you think of the project pairings? __Each reply is deeply appreciated. Thank you for reading and responding!_


	4. Chapter Four: A Secret

Chapter Four: A Secret

The following morning, Anastasia stalked the school hallways with Cassie following close behind. "Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Can we _please _just drop the subject?"

"Alright...Fine."

"Thank you." There was an awkward silence held between the two for a moment. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," Anastasia apologized meekly.

"You _did_sound like Old Aunt Phlegmenkoff." Cassie puffed out her cheeks and narrowed her eyes into little slits, imitating Anastasia's aunt. Taking on a scratchy voice, she said, "I don't want to talk about it anymore." The imitation caused Anastasia to giggle. Cassie deflated, laughing, "But I forgive you."

Anastasia did not like being referred to as her crabby old aunt, and she playfully shoved Cassie. Cassie grinned mischievously and was about to return the favor, when suddenly her eyes diverted and focused on the man standing behind her friend.

"Anya, hi."

Anastasia's eyes narrowed, her lips formed a snarl, her teeth cringed, and she pivoted toward Dimitri, ready to melt him with her laser beam vision.

"Uhh...Hi...hi," he stuttered as he noticed her furious expression.

Anastasia didn't bother answering.

His eyes flicked from Anastasia to Cassie and then nervously back to Anastasia. "Um," he stuttered, his gaze flying back to Cassie.

She immediately got the message he was desperately trying to convey. "Ana, uh, I'll see you in class!" she told her friend. And then she was gone.

Dimitri looked at his shoes, then back up at Anastasia's eyes. "Ah...er...I think we got started off on the wrong foot..."

Anastasia replied curtly, "Yes, I do too, and I appreciate your apology. Thank you."

Dimitri smiled...that is, until he completely processed what she just said. "Great...wait, I wasn't apologizing."

"And I was just leaving," she said bluntly. She started to walk away.

He smirked thoughtfully, trying to think of something clever to say. But he could think of nothing.

Anastasia didn't stop walking as she silently counted down the seconds. "Three...two...one..."

"Wait, Anya, please."

She smiled in silent victory as she spun on her heel. "What?"

"I, uh, ooh..."

"On with it," she commanded, finally meeting his eyes.

"Okay, I think I acted immature and..."

"You think. You _think_?"

"I was immature and I would like to apologize. Can we please work something out? I think we could really work well together if we give us a chance. Please, Anya, at least try to give us a chance."

His wording caught her a little off guard. All at once, Anastasia averted her eyes, forcing them to focus on the wall behind him. Her voice faltering, she stammered, "Ye-yeah, I...I suppose I...I mean...I suppose that _we_ could work something out....and give our assignment a chance...."

He grinned, holding back a huge sigh of relief. "Great!"

She nodded weakly and hurried away. As he watched her scurry through the mob of students crowding the hallway, he finally let out his breath. And that's when he noticed that he had been holding his breath for nearly the whole duration of the conversation.

* * *

Anastasia took her seat next to Cassie in the Spanish classroom. Anastasia dropped her bag under her desk and folded her arms, burying her face in them.

Cassie stared questioningly at the girl slumped over her desk. "So...how did it go? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, you know."

Anastasia replied with a groan.

". . . That bad, huh?"

The girl's muffled mutter was unintelligible.

"Sorry, Ana, but you're going to have to say that again...."

She lifted her head long enough to murmur, "He apologized and asked for forgiveness and wants us to work something out and....AHH!" She groaned in frustration as she buried her head again, but the action looked more like she was flopping back into her arms.

"Okay.....slow down. So he apologized and said he wants to work something out.... What's so bad about that? _Did_ you forgive him?"

Raising her head for a moment, Anastasia sputtered, "I don't know!"

Cassie laughed in disbelief. "What? What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just don't know!" she cried into her sweater. "He said we could work well together if we give _us_ a chance. It caught me by surprise and I didn't know how to respond. I made myself look like a fool!"

Cassie's eyebrows raised. "Sooo....what did you say?"

"I said, 'Yeah, we could give uh, ah, oh, _**blah**_!'" Anastasia's head flopped down—_again_.

Cassie's mouth formed into a gentle, understanding smile. "Sorry, Ana..."

Anastasia meekly shook her head from side to side. After a moment, she raised her head slowly, and her eyes stared into a vast nothingness. "Strange... I thought I was wearing my favorite sweater today."

"Huh? What does that have to do with Dimi...." Cassie hesitated. "Ana, you _are_ wearing your favorite sweater."

"That's what I thought." Out of sudden realization, Anastasia sighed loudly. "I bet it's that detergent my aunt uses. It's changing the color of all my clothes." She was quiet for a moment. "It used to be charcoal," she said as she slowly picked at the sleeve, "and now it's gray."

The sweater _was_ the color of charcoal. Cassie concernedly studied her friend. She was worried. That was the worst Anastasia had done with identifying colors during the entire month.

* * *

Anastasia, Cassie, and Crystal entered the dormitory. Cassie and Crystal immediately made their way to the "study" area and set up their notes. Anastasia, on the other hand, made a beeline to her bed and collapsed, staring at the ceiling.

"Ana, whatcha doin'?"

"I was thinking up a plan of attack."

Crystal nodded as if she understood, but then turned to Cassie. "What does she mean by that?" she whispered.

"Some things are just better left unsaid, or in this case, better left unexplained."

Anastasia hopped of her bed and rushed to the closet that she and Cassie shared. The closet door flew open and Anastasia rummaged through her footwear. "Mr. Jingles!" she exclaimed as she pulled the reluctant tomcat out of a pink bunny slipper. He raced to her bed, flouncing at the foot of it as Anastasia went back to her scavenger hunt. After a moment, she found what she was looking for. "Ah ha!" she exclaimed in triumph.

The cry of joy surprised Crystal and she almost choked on her gum.

"Bye, Girls!" Anastasia said jubilantly as she threw her purse over her shoulder.

"Wait! Ana! Where you going?" Cassie asked, finally looking up from her project.

"I'm going to make things right!"

*** * ***

Anastasia crossed the hall and knocked on the door of Room 515. Dimitri answered, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Ah, Anya, hi! What are you doing here?" he asked, unable to hide his joy at seeing her.

"I think we need to get started on that project."

"Oh, okay." He moved aside so that she could enter.

"No, let's go to the mall's food court. I mean, if that's fine with you."

"Sure, give me a second and let me get my jacket." He reached to the coat closet near the door and pulled out a black wool jacket. "Okay, let's go."

*** * ***

The pair walked into the food court laughing. Anastasia selected a table and sat down. He did the same, sitting on the opposite side of her. They just stared at each other awkwardly, not sure what to say. "Um, here," Anastasia said, passing him a slip of paper that she had been holding in her hand during the entire trek. "Whenever I may seem a little edgy, just look at this."

He turned the slip of paper over and a grin spread across his face. "What is this?"

"It's a picture of me singing in the first grade. Well, I was supposed to be singing anyway. I was actually screaming."

"You fell off the platform?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I didn't just fall. I fell off the platform and broke my wrist."

Dimitri winced. "Ouch...."

"And here's a secret: I always hid it in my slippers. I don't know why I didn't get rid of it; perhaps it was just too hilarious."

"But then why are you giving this to to me?" he inquired, perplexity written on his face.

"It will remind you that I'm human too. It will humble me down a little. So, you know, whenever I get a little on your nerves, look at this and have a good laugh."

* * *

The sound of a key turning in the door attracted Cassie's attention. In waltzed Anastasia.

"So, how did, 'making things right' go?"

Anastasia shut the door. Eyes gleaming, she smiled as she replied, "It was...nice."

* * *

_So, which character is your favorite? Which character can you relate to most? What do you predict will happen? And finally, what do you think of the chapter? Thanks!_


	5. Chapter Five: Complications

Chapter Five: Complications

Anastasia's eyes flew open. _"What time is it?"_ She looked at her clock. 8:15. Her alarm had not buzzed, failing to awake her. She jumped out of bed and rushed to the closet. She threw numerous outfits aside. "Cassie!" she cried out frantically.

Cassie lifted her face out of her pillow. "Huh? What?" she asked drowsily.

"Cassie, it's 8:15 and class starts in 45 minutes!"

Cassie bolted upright and stared up disbelievingly at her frantic friend. "_**What!?**_ Did your alarm malfunction _**again**_?"

"Yes.... _Where is it?_" Anastasia wailed.

"Where is what?" Cassie asked, jumping out of bed as she started combing her frizzy, blonde hair.

"You know, the pink sweater that my mom knitted for me."

Cassie walked over to where Anastasia was standing, stared for a moment at the closet full of clothes, then outstretched her arm and pulled out Anastasia's prized sweater. She turned to her friend and held the sweater on her pinkie.

Anastasia gawked at her friend in disbelief. "That is not my sweater."

"Uh, yes it is, Ana."

"_No_, it isn't," Anastasia replied with great conviction. "I'm sure of it."

"See for yourself," Cassie said as she removed the hanger and pulled out the tag. Cassie read aloud, " 'To Ana, love Mom. 2003.' It's as clear as the nose on your face...."

Anastasia snatched the sweater and studied the tag as her eyes filled with tears. "That detergent must have ruined my sweater!"

". . . or maybe not," Cassie finally finished her previous thought. She sat on the edge of her friend's bed and motioned for her friend to do the same. "Ana, we need to talk."

"Okay.... What about?" she asked, taking her place beside her longtime schoolmate and best friend.

"Ana...." Cassie mistakenly hesitated, searching for the right words.

"Cassie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong..."

"Well, something is."

Cassie sighed, realizing her friend knew her all too well. There was no way out of it now. "Actually, you're right. I don't know how to tell you this gently, but...Ana...." She held Anastasia's hand, looking her in the eyes. "You're colorblind."

"What?"

Cassie's face flushed. "You're going colorblind," she said again, only not as strongly as she would have hoped.

"O-oh, really?" The realization finally struck Anastasia like a bolt of lightning. "You're serious?"

"Yes, I...you're not concerned?"

She patted Cassie's hand. "Cassie, sweetie, I don't have anything to lose. I just have everything to gain...." The truth was that deep down inside of her, Anastasia knew there was reason for concern. She had everything to lose—and nothing to gain.

* * *

The girls' walk to the university was anything _**but**_ interesting. Anastasia found herself pondering _how_ this disease could have occurred. Whenever she got to thinking, her eyes focused on a vast nothingness. And that's exactly what happened.

Cassie noticed her friend's distinct gaze. Trademark Ana. "Ana, I thought you said you weren't worried about it."

"Huh? Oh, I'm not," she replied quickly. They continued on for a few steps. "What am I not worried about, Cassie?"

"You know perfectly well. Your colorblindness."

"Okay, okay, it does bother me!" Anastasia cried, throwing her hands high in the air. "But it's just.... What did I do wrong? I mean, how does colorblindness just all of a sudden appear out of nothing...and nowhere?!"

"That's easy: It didn't. You've gone through a lot of stress recently. You've been too hard on yourself. I believe your problem comes from those things. Distress can do weird things to a person.... Stress, it's a killer."

"But...do you think I will ever be able to see colors again? I mean, see like I used to? Cassie, I'm so scared.... Could this be permanent? I don't want to live in an existence where all I see are different shades of the same color: A world of varying grays would suck! _My Monochrome Existence, Story of my Life_ will most certainly be the title of my autobiography...that is, if I can even see enough to write!" Anastasia took a quick breath before rapidly continuing, "Will it develop so that soon I won't be able to see at all?" Anastasia's face was turning red as she peppered her friend with questions.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Ana, calm down, will you? We don't even know for sure if you really _are_ going colorblind. You should see an eye doctor, get some input and credible opinions."

"I suppose you're right...as usual. If I keep stressing over this, who knows, it might just get worse."

Both girls sighed. As they were passing the white blanketed park, they happened to pass by a group of students. There were about six girls bunched together, all chatting excitedly. Anastasia found her gaze traveling to the magnetic center of the group, who was a tall, brown-haired man. He was laughing, and latching onto his right arm was Crystal. Anastasia's cheeks flushed and she pointedly looked away.

"Right.... Ana?" With no response, Cassie focused her gaze on her friend. She studied Anastasia's expression, which was one of mixed disappointment, sadness, and realization. Then Cassie noticed the students. And finally everything clicked. Anastasia secretly liked Dimitri. At the sudden realization, Cassie swore under her breath.

Cassie didn't intend for Anastasia to hear her, but she did, and Anastasia realized her friend knew. Her gaze traveled to her shoes and her eyes betrayed her efforts to conceal her misery.

*** * ***

The girls entered the main corridor of the university.

"Ana," Cassie said rather uncomfortably, "what you need is a vacation."

"I know," Anastasia replied softly. This time she was not denying the fact of her need to escape.

"You can move in with my family for a while.... I _did_ talk to my parents, and they're fine with it," Cassie added.

"I just may finally have to take you up on that offer," Anastasia replied, life finally returning to her voice. Cassie smiled at her friend.

Their sentimental moment was shattered by a shout. "Anya!"

Cassie turned to the owner of the voice; Anastasia's cheeks reddened. She knew that shout well enough. Finally, she turned as well. "Yes?"

Dimitri's trademark smile appeared. "I'm so glad I could catch you before class. I have something really important to ask you." His gaze lingered on her for a moment before suddenly flying to Cassie.

She took the clue. "See ya later, Ana."

"Yeah, see you," she replied as her friend ran to meet up with Crystal. She saw Cassie's blonde curls bounce, an obvious sign that she had shaken her head in disagreement. Anastasia found herself giggling as she turned back to Dimitri. "Yes?"

"Anya, I've been thinking a lot, lately, and I think that..."

"Oh yeah, the project! I almost completely forgot about that," Anastasia exclaimed, placing her right palm to her forehead, and bashful smile forming.

"Um, yes, the project. Actually..."

"Hey, Anastasia Greene, gonna try out for Drama today?"

Anastasia did not recognize that voice. Furthermore, she had no idea what the guy was talking about. She turned and stared questioningly at his bespectacled face.

"Pardon me?" she asked politely.

"You know," he replied, pushing his glasses up his nose, "you can sing your heart out and then fall of the...whoa!" The dweeb was interrupted and sent flying, only to crash to to the floor.

Anastasia's shocked eyes traveled from the dweeb to the jock who had pushed the nerd out of the way. "What he means to say is that you'll get up there, act like a hotshot, take one too many steps, and fall on your nose!" His tone was not joking; it was harsh and cruel.

His comment sounded far too familiar. Could he possibly be referring to _that?_ Anastasia's eyes flashed in anger as she growled menacingly, "How do you know??!"

The jock started laughing in her face. "It will look a lot like what I just did to Four-eyes...even better, what happened to you when you were, what, six?"

Clear that he knew, Anastasia clutched the jock's jacket, jerking him down to her height. "How. Do. You. Know?"

"Hey, hey, don't get so grabby," he whined, pulling her hand off his jacket, forcing her to release him. He straightened out his jacket, making Anastasia all the more impatient with him. Looking past Anastasia to Dimitri, he sneered, "Ask your boyfriend."

Suddenly it clicked. She twisted around to face Dimitri, her eyes piercing him with a dangerous intensity. She seized his sweater. "I gave that to you out of confidence!" Her yell was crossed with chocked-back tears.

"Anya, I..."

"Aww, what's the matter?" the jock smirked. "Are you guys breaking up? Poor _Anya_ Greene, how many people have you lost this month?"

His mocking tone stung her. How could he mock such a sensitive subject? Yet, what surprised her most was that Dimitri's betrayal stung even more deeply. Confused, she loosened her grip on Dimitri and spun around, flailing a punch at the jock. Of course, she missed his face, bashing her fist into his shoulder instead.

"Ooh, little Miss _Anya_ Greene is challenging me to a fight?"

Anastasia was about to give him a piece of her mind when unexpectedly Dimitri stepped in front of her. "No, I am."

For only a second, Dimitri's challenge seemed to surprise the jock. But just as quickly he regained his pompous composure. "Okay, sure, New Guy. I'll even go easy on you."

Some students of forming crowd gasped. This caught Cassie's attention, and she saw Anastasia and Dimitri talking with Chris, the school's number one quarterback. Without thinking, she started pushing through the crowd toward her friend.

"First, let's make it clear what we are fighting over," Dimitri stated calmly, rolling up his sleeves. "You have no right to hurt Anastasia. She did nothing to you. And yet, you feel the need to ridicule her? You have to talk about her parents with no compassion....as if they don't matter? You act like people should bow down to you just because you're on the football team. But I think we can all see what you really are...a pompous jerk who makes up for his shortcomings by picking on innocent girls."

As Dimitri was calling the jock out, Cassie was finally successful in pushing through the bystanders. She reached her friend and hugged her tightly.

"Honestly," Dimitri continued, "your IQ's probably the lowest in this school. You're only here because of your ability to play just one darn sport."

Some of the brains, like the dweeb, snickered.

The jock's nostrils flared. He charged Dimitri. The fight began. For the first few moments the two wrestled with one another, their eyes glaring.

As this was happening, the crowd formed a circle around the dueling boys. Most were cheering for Dimitri, the underdog. The few cheering for Chris were his bum teammates; they were outnumbered seventy-five to three. Chris was much bigger and fiercer than Dimitri. Anastasia watched in horror as Chris sucker-punched Dimitri. Anastasia found herself shouting at the jock. Cassie had to pull her friend back from getting her face punched.

For both boys, blows were thrown and received. Finally, Dimitri was knocked to the ground.

Anastasia escaped her friend's grasp and started pounding on Chris's back. Chris turned to push Anastasia aside. She was suddenly happy that her parents made her take a self-defense class last year; it was coming in handy as she jumped on Chris, causing him to lose his balance. This gave Dimitri the perfect opportunity. As Chris tried to throw the girl off of his back, Dimitri charged his legs from behind. Chris landed with a thud. Anastasia hopped off and joined Cassie and Crystal, who were in the midst of exchanging high-fives. But Anastasia wasn't paying attention to her friends; her eyes were riveted on Dimitri.

Dimitri had pinned Chris to the ground. The Russian was about to give him a good pounding, but something came over him and he stopped in mid-punch. He released the jock. "You're not worth it: My time, or my energy." Dimitri stood back up, positioning himself in front of Anastasia just in case the jock was to start flailing at her. Chris pushed himself up, and to everyone's surprise, broke through the circle of students without a look back. His cronies exchanged scared glances and then chased down their leader. Several students applauded and shot smart remarks at the retreating Chris and his teammates. Students swarmed Dimitri, congratulating him as he panted, trying to regain his breath. Yet, he payed no attention to them. His gaze traveled to a girl who was standing with her friends on the outside brink of the celebrators, having been pushed out when the crowd rushed him. Anastasia caught his gaze and held it. She smiled and mouthed a thank-you. He nodded to her. And then the girl turned away, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Wow!" Crystal exclaimed, almost spitting out her gum in the process, "Ana, I didn't know you had it in you!" She then proceeded by hugging Anastasia, something that was very uncharacteristic of the actress.

"That's my girl," Cassie praised as she wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. Anastasia hugged her friends briefly, then quickly slipped out of Cassie's embrace. "Ana, what's wrong?"

Anastasia didn't answer. Cassie stared questioningly at her friend hastening out of the university without even one look back.

Dimitri saw Cassie and Crystal embrace their friend before his view was momentarily blocked by some of the cheering students. Once some of the crowd had dissipated, he could again see Cassie and Crystal, but Anastasia was nowhere in sight. He followed Cassie's gaze just in time to witness Anastasia exit the college.

* * *

_Dearest readers;_

_My sincerest apologies that this chapter is so late in being posted. I guarantee the next chapter will be posted much more quickly. I could go on and on with excuses, but I doubt you would want to read them. However, I did experience a writer's block, and it was very hard to find the desire to want to keep working with this chapter. After all, it was primarily a filler. The main points of Chapter Five were to show how Anastasia discovers she is colorblind and to make Anastasia angry with Dimitri. As you can see, Crystal is going to be a bigger part to this story than may have been expected. I was questioned as to the part Crystal would play, and I believe it is now obvious. For fun, I tried to include personalities/characteristics of some of the classmates in this chapter, and as you can see, many are stereotypical. I hope you found this chapter worth the wait. Again, my sincerest apologies._

_P.S.: Because of the long wait for this chapter, I found it only fair to reveal a little of Chapter Six. If you don't want it spoiled, do NOT read anything beyond this point!_

_Anastasia will have a chance to bond with Dimitri, and he explains how Chris and the dweeb knew about the picture. In addition, they visit Starbucks and go motorcycle riding! However, Anastasia's hurt feelings still do not allow her to view Dimitri as anything more than her Biology partner. And of course it ends with a classic Cassie/Anastasia moment._

_Thank you for reading, and kudos to you for not giving up on me!_

_Sincerely,_

_Stefie~_


	6. Chapter Six: A Confession and Adventure

**Chapter Six: A Confession and an Adventure**

Stepping out into the cold, crisp winter air seemed calming and soothing. Anastasia stood in the snow and inhaled deeply. The cold bit her bones, but she loved the feeling. It brought back memories of her grandmother's stories of growing up in freezing Russia...during a time when war was plentiful and peace was not.

She had a lot in common with her grandmother. Their parents were murdered. Her grandmother practically raised herself, starting at the age of seventeen. _"Why was it she had to live alone?"_ Her grandmother kept to herself the details of her early childhood. _"She never spoke of her life before __**that**__."_ Anastasia was named after her grandmother, of course. Anastasia was often told that she had her grandmother's eyes. She also had her grandmother's temper, and fiery auburn hair to match. She and her grandmother also shared active imaginations. Anastasia's grandmother would create the fanciest tales.... Anastasia smiled as she remembered one in particular.

As Anastasia explored these thoughts, Cassie stepped out into the cold and studied her friend concernedly. Anastasia was staring at the sky. All of a sudden she began spinning and humming, ". . . things I almost remember...." Cassie sighed, realizing that her friend was in another world. She had heard this song before when Anastasia's parents had died: She sang it to herself constantly. "And a song someone sings..."

"Once upon a December..." Cassie chimed in, catching Anastasia's attention.

Anastasia's eyes lit up as she ceased her dancing. "Hey, you didn't tell me you could sing! You have a great singing voice, Cassie."

"Likewise...." There was an awkward silence. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"_No, not really. There are __**so**__ many things...."_ She didn't know what to say. Anastasia stood still. Her eyes darkened slightly. "Like what?"

"Well," Cassie started as she removed a pink hair band she wore on her wrist. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. "like what you were thinking about just now."

Anastasia's face tightened, and suddenly she appeared to fall apart. "That doesn't matter...." Cassie watched as Anastasia's eyes filled with tears. "I was thinking about my grandmother. But, I was just...using it as an escape from the truth...and confusion."

Cassie's eyes showed that she understood, and she was silent, allowing her best friend to continue.

Anastasia's shoulders sagged. "I just don't understand. He...Dimitri fought my fight for me, and yet, he was the only one who could have...." She stopped to take in a ragged breath. ". . . shown the picture...that I gave him."

Cassie crossed her arms. "That's what the fight was all about? What picture did you give him?"

Anastasia's posture prickled defensively, yet her voice was calm and sincere. "You never saw the photograph. It was a picture of me falling of the stage during the first grade Christmas pageant."

Anastasia was afraid Cassie would question why she had never shown her. Instead, she replied, "That's not the only thing on your mind, is it?"

"_No, it isn't."_ But she couldn't bring herself to say so aloud. Instead, Anastasia walked up to her friend and hugged her. "Thanks for being the greatest friend a girl could wish for, Cassidy."

Cassie pulled away from the hug, studying her friend critically. "We're back to a full name basis?" she questioned, grinning playfully. "I guess I'll have to start calling you Anastasia again."

Anastasia smiled bashfully. "You know what I mean!"

"Yes, I do. And, _Anastasia Emelia Greene,_ I know you have more on your mind. But, you can tell me when you're ready."

Truly no one understood her like Cassie did. They hugged again. "Thanks, Cassie. And one last thing...if you ever use my middle name again, you're gonna need to learn how to sleep with your eyes open." The two laughed.

The door to the college opened, and out stepped Dimitri. The faintest hint of a smile crossed his face as he watched the two girls joke around. Anastasia noticed him and smiled wanly. Dimitri took the acknowledgement as a sign that it was fine for him to approach. The laughing ceased, only to be followed by a few awkward moments of silence.

"You were really wonderful, Dimitri," Cassie finally said, grinning.

"Thank you," he replied almost inaudibly. His eyes showed appreciation, and yet they reflected uneasiness. Cassie, becoming quite accustomed to the signal glance, took her cue. She smiled at her friend, leaving without another word.

Once Cassie was out of earshot, Dimitri spoke briefly. "Anastasia, I really need to talk to you about something important." He hesitated. She found it hard to look him in the eyes, but she got it done. That seemed to relieve Dimitri, and so he continued. "We don't have a lot of time right now, so will you agree to talk to me after school--over coffee?"

She managed a believable smile as she replied, "Certainly."

**O~o~O~o~O**

Anastasia was leaving the university as Cassie caught sight of her. "Ana!"

Anastasia spun on her heel. "Yes?" she asked in a chipper voice, though Cassie could tell that she was nervous about something.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm going to the local Starbucks...."

"Ooh, that sounds great! Mind if I come along?"

Anastasia wanted to tell her no, but Cassie became so exited that she added a skip to her walk. "I suppose you can," Anastasia finally said a bit reluctantly.

Cassie's skip was suddenly tamed. "What do you mean you _suppose_ I can go?" Anastasia blushed, and Cassie had her answer. "You really couldn't be more obvious you know. Tell Dimitri 'hi' for me," she said lightly as she nudged her friend in the arm.

"Yeah, I know, I'll...." Her cheeks turned scarlet at the sudden realization. She quickly tried to recover. "Who?" But from Cassie's expression Anastasia knew there was no point in acting oblivious to the situation. "How do you know?" she squeaked.

Her reaction thrilled Cassie, causing her to giggle. "Because, Ana, I know you," she said with a wink.

**O~o~O~o~O**

Anastasia pushed open the door to Starbucks. She entered casually, glancing at the few tables filled with students and laptops. She immediately spotted Dimitri. He was bent over some papers he had spread over the table. As she neared, she realized that he had not yet noticed her. "Hi," she said a bit more shyly than she would have liked. Despite her frustration with herself, she refrained from biting her lip.

His gaze flew up to her. "Hi, Ana." She noticed he struggled to emphasize the proper pronunciation of her nickname. She also saw him scramble to push all his papers into a neat little pile as he spoke. She took a seat at the opposite side of the table and watched him push his hair out of his eyes. She stared at him, waiting for him to speak. He stared back at her and finally cleared his throat. "Don't you want to order your coffee?"

That wasn't what she was expecting. But then, she didn't really know what she _was _expecting. "Um, of course."

"I'll order it for you. What do you want?"

"Pumpkin spice soy latte, decaf," she answered without hesitation. He raised his eyebrows. Her expression was unwavering. "What?"

He finally smiled genuinely. "Nothing, that's just a mouthful."

She arched an eyebrow and gave a crooked smile. "Would you like me to repeat it?"

By that time he was standing. "Nope. It's a decaf pumpkin spice soy latte, right?"

"Wow, I'm impressed," she said grinning.

He grinned back and then departed her presence to order the pumpkin latte. She watched him approach the counter and order. The young cashier repeated his order back to him, and he nodded. Then he turned and flashed Anastasia a triumphant smile, proceeded by a thumbs up. She returned the gesture. He returned his gaze to the cashier and opened his wallet. And that's when Anastasia realized that she was being _too_ nice to him. He still had yet to explain the whole picture fiasco to her. What she did not know was that her simple gesture made his heart skip a beat.

As he paid the cashier and waited for the latte to be handed to him, Anastasia found her eyes traveling to the pile of papers sitting before her. So she had the picture fiasco _and_ biology to worry about. _Great._

Just then he returned to the table. Anastasia, so absorbed in her thoughts, didn't notice him. He held out the latte patiently, waiting for her to sense his presence and take the hot drink. But she continued to stare at the papers. More curious than irritated, he placed the drink directly in front of her eyes. "Here," he said gruffly.

"Oh, thank you..." she replied sincerely as she received the beverage.

He plopped into his seat. "Well it took you long enough."

Anastasia was genuinely shocked at Dimitri's demeanor. She calmly placed her cup before her on the table and focused her attention completely on him. "Dimitri, if I did something to offend you, I'm sorry."

His stony expression quickly crumbled and he broke into laughter. Seeing Anastasia was confounded, he cleared his throat. "You seemed....how should I say this....in your own world, and I wanted to see..."

"If I was paying attention to this world," she laughed.

"Yeah," he sighed. They understood each other. For once.

**O~o~O**

"Ugghh!" Anastasia moaned as she playfully "headed" the Starbucks table. Dimitri laughed as the girl picked up her head. "I just don't get it," she admitted, folding her arms in her slouched position.

"You'll get it eventually," Dimitri said kindly.

"Eventually?" she repeated, her voice rising. "Face it, Dimitri, I suck at Biology." Anastasia was expecting Dimitri to shoot back a retort, but that's not what happened.

"I'm sorry about the bullying that happened today."

"About that, how did those guys know about my picture?"

"Well, see, that night after I spoke to you, I returned to my dormitory and placed my backpack on the floor by the closet. I had put the picture in my backpack. I think that Zach—he's the guy who was giving you a hard time first—must have come across my backpack and..."

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Anastasia said, waving her hands in front of her. "You're telling me that _Zach_ is your dorm mate? That _dweeb?_" Normally, Anastasia wasn't prone to cruelty or harsh words, but right now she was balancing on nothing but will power.

"Yeah...and he must have told Chris in hopes of, well, I guess trying to get on their 'good side.' "

"Well I could certainly could see that," Anastasia grumbled, still frustrated, but at least understanding.

"I do hope you're not mad at me," he softly pleaded.

"No, I'm not mad at you...at anybody." She placed a hand up to her forehead. "I just wish I wouldn't have been made a fool of."

"You know what?" Dimitri asked, placing his palms flat on the table, "Let's forget about Biology for a while."

She stared at Dimitri incredulously. "What do you mean?"

**O~o~O**

"I am _**NOT**_ getting on that thing!"

Dimitri removed a shiny black helmet from the leather side bag. "Come on, Anya, it's only a motorcycle."

Her face was blanched. "You're serious? 'Come on, Dimitri, drink this bottle of Shout-it-Out, it's only bleach.' "

"Ah," he said, handing her the helmet, "I'd never do that."

"My point exactly." Her eyes were staring at the helmet, and she was holding it gingerly, as if the helmet itself had the power to kill her.

"The helmet's not going to do anything to you," he stated, placing his own on his head. "You'll be fine, especially with me driving."

"It's not driving...it's...it's...motorcycling." He seemed not to hear her as he climbed onto his motorcycle. He was ignoring her, obviously. She started to place the helmet over her auburn ponytail, but her hands just wouldn't place the helmet completely over her head. She glanced up to the heavens in distress. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. The sky had been cloudy and overcast all day; rather forbidden looking. "Uh, D..Dimitri," she stuttered, bringing the helmet back down in front of her. "Are you quite sure it's safe? I mean, there's a storm coming in. What if it started raining?"

"Rain doesn't stop me."

Her shoulders slumped. He wasn't going to take any of her excuses.

"You can walk back to the dormitory, or you can ride there. Which is your choice?"

Considering his words, she glanced back down at the helmet. She had never ridden on a motorcycle before. It would be ridiculously scary. On the other hand, it would provide her with a terrific story to share with Cassie.

"Well, are you getting on or not?"

Her shaking hands rose to her head, and soon enough see was staring out of a tinted visor. Dimitri smiled at her decision. She climbed on behind him. And then she sat there, not really knowing what to do. "You're going to need to hold on to me if you don't want to fall off."

Her eyes widened. Of all the things she was giving in to, that was definitely not one of them. "I'm fine. I'll be able to keep my balance without holding onto you."

"Okay, if you say so."

She smiled in satisfaction. At least she'd still be able to maintain some of her dignity. The loud roar of the engine cut off her thoughts and she screamed, grabbing onto his sweater. Then he pulled out of the Starbucks parking lot.

They continued going straight at a slow pace for a while. Anastasia finally opened her eyes, relaxing. It wasn't so bad. But then he sped up. Her nails dug deeper into him the more he accelerated. He clenched. "You know, you don't have to hold onto me this hard..."

"F-f-f-fine b-b-but...." she began a stuttering spree, which was interrupted as they rounded a corner. She screamed once again, clutching at him. Instinctively his muscles tensed and he straightened. He turned his head slightly and out of his peripheral vision could see the frightened girl squish her eyes shut and press her face (visor, actually) into his back. And then he smiled to himself.

**O~o~O**

Finally they approached the main street leading to the dormitories. Anastasia's eyes glistened at the sudden relief of seeing the large building get larger as they drew closer. They were nearing the round-about, but he wasn't slowing. Suddenly they passed the college's parking entrance. "Hey," she shouted, "you missed it!"

"I know."

Where was he taking her? She was too stunned to ask. As she was still trying to process this, a water droplet landed on her visor. And then another. And another. Great, it was raining. She was wondering how the day could get any worse when they approached the base of a small hill. Dimitri stopped at the light and waited patiently for it to turn green. During this time Anastasia found enough courage to glance up and see where they were. Immediately she recognized the narrow, winding road as San Francisco's famous Lombard Street.

At that moment the light changed and Dimitri accelerated forward. He took the corners slowly, and Anastasia found herself admiring the many small buildings and shops lining the street. It was approaching dusk, and the street lights were beginning to light up. The whole scene reminded her of an old movie, something one would see in a fairy tale world. But this was real.

Finally they reached the top, and it was raining pretty hard by then. He pulled over and made a U-turn so that they were facing Lombard Street once again. The sight was beautiful. The bay was off to the left, with the lighthouse dead ahead in the distance. She could see most of the city shining brightly below, and the small shops were illuminated in orange light escaping their windows. The soaked street itself reflected the lights. She sighed in awe. Now she somewhat understood why he brought her up here. It was peaceful, serene, the perfect thing to take her mind off her troubles. "Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Cassie paced back-and-forth from the bedroom to the entryway and back again. "Ana, where are you?" she asked as she studied her watch. 7:10. With what had recently happened to Anastasia's parents, Cassie didn't want to take any chances. She was considering calling her friend when the sound of jingling keys disturbed her worrying. She ran to the door just as her dearest friend was entering.

Anastasia was soaked clear through from head to foot. She smiled at her friend and offered no explanation. She started to walk back to the bedroom when Cassie couldn't contain herself any longer. "Ana, what happened to you? Do you know that you almost gave me a heart attack?"

Cassie would never let this go. Anastasia sighed and pivoted toward her friend. "You're never going to believe this in a million years..."

**O~o~O**

Cassie erupted in laughter. "Oh my word!" she finally coughed out. "Oh my woooooooord! Anastasia Emelia Greene, I cannot believe you!" By this time she was gasping for breath. "That...."

The storyteller blushed slightly. "Cassie, it wasn't _that_ funny. Half the time I literally felt as if I was about to die!"

Cassie's face was beet red. ". . . was the cheesiest date ever!" And with that Cassie thrust herself into another laughing spasm.

Anastasia's eyes widened. _**"No it was not! It was not a date!"**_

Finally calming down, Cassie replied, "Uh-huh. Sure. Tell me that after you wipe that goofy, embarrassed look off your face. Then I might believe you. Maybe."

Cassie started to walk away from her stunned friend, but then wheeled around with a curious expression crossing her face. "There's one thing I can't figure out. How'd he know about the view if you guys didn't know it was going to rain?"

Anastasia sighed and brushed some wet strands of hair out of her eyes. "I don't know...." Her voice was even and calm. "But Cassie, I assure you it wasn't a date."

Cassie smiled fondly at her friend. "Ana, I'll tell you one thing: Don't ever change."

* * *

_So, what do you think of really long chapters? I hope you enjoyed!_

_I apologize for the new way of separating scenes. The FanFiction uploader is not uploading my asterisks, and when I edit within FanFiction, the changes do not hold. The complete line barriers mean that an entire change in scene has taken place. The **O~o~O~o~O** barriers mean that a long period of time has elapsed during a scene, and **O~o~O** barriers mean that only a little time has passed during a scene. _

_Unfortunately, with the end of the school year quickly approaching, Yuna and I have a lot of major tests coming up. We also have a lot of homework assignments. We will continue with this story as soon as the school year ends, which happens in approximately eight weeks (yay!!). Sorry about the delay. :'(_

_In the meantime, we have a question for you. What would you think if we gave Cassie a few brief chapters of her own? For the ending of the story, I find this essential. Cassie is going to need to develop. We would deeply appreciate your input. Please, please, please take a moment to share your thoughts with us. We cannot emphasize enough how much your input means to both us and the story. Thank you so much!_

_~Stefie_


	7. Chapter Seven: Cassie

_This chapter has been a long time in coming. Yuna and I are finally free to write, and we hope to complete most of the story before the next school year! Special thanks for this chapter go out to all the faithful readers, especially those who have reviewed this story. Your reviews are deeply appreciated; they keep us motivated! The greatest of thanks go to xXbunnyholicXx, who has worked with me specifically on the development of Cassie. xXbunnyholicXx has offered ideas and suggestions for the character development of Cassie, who represents a girl we all wish we had for a friend and confidant. Hence, Yuna and I dedicate this seventh chapter to every Cassie out there who makes this world a better, brighter place to live. [For those of you who are interested: Cassidy means "curly-headed"; Vivianne means "alive; animated; lively"; and Astrid means "divine beauty." Surprisingly, Cassidy's first name was chosen without first researching the meaning. Great choice, huh? ;P] _

_-Stefani_

Chapter Seven: Cassie

Cassidy Vivianne Astrid stalked the street outside her dorm building. Hands in her coat pockets, eyes down, she solemnly continued her aimless roaming. For as long as Cassidy could remember, she and Ana had been best friends. And Mr. and Mrs. Greene had been her rock.

**O~o~O**

She recalled one particular incident that happened when she was only 14. She had sneaked away from home one day to hang out with her so-called "rebel" friends. But they couldn't be all that bad. After all, they were her friends. And she always seemed to come out all right. Well, that one day they had decided to try something new. Something called marijuana. At first Cassidy, seeing their twisted faces from inhaling the putrid stuff, profoundly refused. But they always had a way of brainwashing her of her conscience.

Cassidy returned home unbearably sick. She was too dizzy to climb the stairs, and hence fell to the sofa. She stayed there until her mother came through the front door. "Hello Cassidy," Her mother said warmly. Cassidy continued to stare at the floor with a rather spaced out, empty look in her eyes. That was not typical of Cassidy. Her mother studied her for a few moments before gasping. "Cassidy, did you sneak out again? I can never trust you when I'm gone, can I?" No response. "Cassidy, did they drug you?... Did they?" Silence. Cassidy's mother sighed and slowly shook her head in exasperation. The silence remained for several seconds. For Cassidy, silence was worse than the brutal lashing she deserved. "Well," her mother chocked out, "you look sick enough. Have you learned your lesson?" Out of sheer humiliation, Cassidy meekly nodded her head and mouthed a yes.

_"Now what? A year's grounding?" _Cassidy speculated.

"Alright then. Go outside and clear your head. The air will be good for you."

Ashamed and befuddled, Cassidy shuffled out and fell on her knees in the grass. What had just happened? As she considered her current predicament, a crimson Dodge Caravan slowly approached her house. _"Oh that's right," _Cassidy thought to herself. _"Today Ana was gonna come over."_ Cassidy sneered. "_Correction. Ana **did** come over. And now what am I to do?" _The minivan came to a stop and the left back door slid open. Out jumped Ana, bright auburn hair flying as she ran to greet her best friend. Cassidy smiled in spite of herself. She staggered to her feet and braced herself for Ana's tight embrace.

As Ana ran to greet her friend, Mr. and Mrs. Greene made their way up the front walk. It was custom for the Greenes to greet and chat with the Astrids whenever the children visited each other.

"Cassie!"

"Hey, Ana."

"No offense, but you don't look, or smell for that matter, much like yourself. Are you alright?" asked Ana, desperately attempting to keep from coughing.

What should she say? _"Yeah, it's the hippest style in France. Well, no offense, but you don't look too great yourself."_ Both would be outright lies. What _should_ she say? The truth. Obviously. Ana was her confidant. She told Ana everything. And, quite frankly, Ana deserved the truth.

Cassidy sighed deeply before taking both of Ana's hands in her own. She needed to get this off her chest. Kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid! "But Band-Aids hurt..."

"What?" Ana asked, smiling brightly.

"Ana, I smoked pot. There, I said it." Cassidy hung her head sorrowfully, almost humorously. However, the most hilarious sight was Anastasia's face. Eyes unblinking, mouth gaping wide, cheeks flushed, she looked like the cover girl for _Vanity Fair_, or even a model in a voguing shoot.

Well, Ana's parents noticed the display, questioned what the girls were doing, and the next few moments were a flurry of questions and scoldings. Bottom line: Cassidy Vivianne Astrid was forbidden from ever seeing Ana again..._unless_ Cassidy could grow up, change her lifestyle, and find a new group of more modest, honest friends.

There was never a time Cassidy had cried so much. She did not sleep that night, but instead resolved to do even better than the Greenes had instructed. She was going to be the greatest friend Ana could _ever_ have. And Cassidy did become a model of virtue, honesty, modesty, and humbleness. Ana and she could once again be friends. Best friends.

Cassidy realized that her true heroes were not her own parents, but the Greenes. They had changed her life by their harsh threat, more than her own parents had done. And the incident had actually strengthened her relationship with the Greenes.

**O~o~O**

Cassidy didn't like to show it in front of Ana, for she had to be strong. But inside she felt as if she had died. The Greenes' deaths had deeply affected Cassidy more deeply than words could say. It was almost as if her own parents had been ruthlessly killed.

Tears slid down Cassidy's face. In the midst of all her tears, Cassidy forgot her surroundings and stepped into the street's intersection. She heard a shout and was pulled backward, falling on her back onto the hard cement. And only then she realized she had narrowly missed being struck by oncoming traffic. Cassidy sincerely, silently thanked God. And only then did she proceed to open her eyes and stare up into the brown irises of her new heroine—Crystal.


	8. Chapter Eight: The Lions and the Lamb

_We make mention of several stars in this chapter. To further your understanding, we have included brief definitions that you can follow up on, if you wish. _

**Columbo** _is the name of a 4-time Emmy-winning detective television series, starring legendary Peter Falk. Columbo's (Peter Falk's) common props are a trench coat, green tie, and a cigar. He slouches, and one of his most memorable phrases is, "Just one more thing."_

_**Rico Torres**__ is the amazing drummer for Jon Bon Jovi._

_**Orianthi**__ is simply __freakin' awesome!__She was Michael Jackson's lead guitarist in _This is It! _If you don't know who she is, look her up on _.com/watch?v=Pu1aQvm5MrU_. (Don't worry, I credit this in the Yuna-and-Stefie profile. ;P Doesn't she look like a cross of Hannah Montana, Ashley Tisdale, and Avril Lavigne? =D) In addition to the music video, the center of the screen will focus on her fingering. 2:20—2:28 is amazing. Pure Awesomeness! In this chapter it is said that Amanda, Crystal's sister, is "almost half as good as Orianthi!" There is also an Orianthi poster in Crystal's garage. To state it simply, the Loewens love Orianthi, and the Aussie is Amanda's inspiration._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Eight: The Lions and the Lamb (A Cassie Chapter) **

"What in the world were you doing, Blondie?" Crystal grilled as she helped Cassie to her feet. "You could have gotten yourself killed you know."

Cassie offered a sheepish, apologetic smile and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I just got lost in a reverie."

Crystal popped her gum and blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"A reverie..."

Crystal remained looking absent-minded and popped her gum. Obviously she was clueless and Cassie realized she needed to explain.

"A daydream... Well, it wasn't really a daydream... It was more of just being lost in thoughts, not paying attention...you know..."

Pop. "Oh..._oh! _Yeah, yeah. I know what you're talking about."

Cassie smiled, slightly relieved. "Yeah..." Awkward silence. Pop. More silence. "Well, I was just on my way back to the dorms...so...see you around." Cassie waved good-bye and turned back toward the dorms.

"Wait!"

Cassie cringed slightly. Sometimes Crystal's voice could sound like a nail on a chalkboard. (And if you don't know what that sounds like, just hope that you never hear have to hear it. _Ever._) Cassie pivoted and she once again faced the raven-haired, gum-popping girl.

"Blondie, if you were going to the dorms, why were you headed in the opposite direction?" Now Cassie had to give that some thought, for Crystal had her there. In fact, Cassie had no idea where she had been headed before her life was saved. Perhaps Cassie's mind was still reeling from the near accident. Whatever the reason, she just couldn't answer, and Crystal took advantage of that. "I don't think you were going to the dorms."

"Well, no, not exactly; I suppose not." Cassie shrugged indifferently. "What's your point?"

Crystal crossed her arms. "What were you **_'rivering'_** about?"

Cassie had to suppress a laugh before answering. "Just some...things...from my past." Despite her efforts, Cassie snorted in the middle of her sentence. Recovering, Cassie bluntly spat, "None of your business. What's it matter to you?"

Knowing she was beat, Crystal nodded. _"__T____ouché."_

Cassie felt satisfied with the answer and once again began her way back to the dorms.

"Oh, and uh, just one more thing," Crystal said clumsily as she struck a pose and pretended to hold a cigar in her right hand.

Cassie just couldn'tresist responding to Crystal's Columbo imitation. "So what, you're a mastermind detective now?"

_"Perhaps," _Crystal replied slyly. "I still haven't heard my thanks."

Cassie playfully, dramatically sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're right. Thanks, Crystal. Thanks for saving my life. I owe you one. Big time. Some day, when your life is in peril, or you need help preparing for a test, or whatever else you need, I suppose I can lend a hand."

"_Or_ you can repay me right now." The sly look had returned to Crystal's face.

'Blondie' raised her eyebrows. "How?"

**O~o~O**

"Okay, your eyes shut?"

"Yes," Cassie replied.

"_Completely_ shut?"

"Yes!"

"Good. No peeking!"

Cassie laughed. "I know, you told me that a thousand times on the way over here."

Crystal crossed her arms (not that Cassie could see, mind you). "Well, that was to ensure that you wouldn't peek when the time came! Now...NO PEEKING!"

Cassie heard the screeching of a garage door opening. Okay, now she was curious. Was she at Crystal's house? All Crystal had said was that she needed "a live audience with no _**prejuices**_." Slightly interested, and having lack of anything better to occupy her time, Cassie obligingly agreed to whatever Crystal was asking of her. And thus Cassie found herself listening to an old, noisy garage door. The garage door squeaked, signaling it had fully raised. There were a few seconds of silence. Cassie grew impatient and began tapping her left foot and drumming her right fingers; she wanted to peek!

Finally, Crystal gave the OK. "Alrighty, you can open your eyes now, Blondie."

Cassie's eyes flew open. Before her stood a large drum set and three mic stands. The shiny stands were centered perfectly around the drum set. Cassie noticed that there were also a few folding chairs leaning against the garage wall. The band set was quite impressive, and Cassie found herself wondering how Crystal was capable of such organization. She then reminded herself that there had to be at least three other members, which would help account for the neatness of Crystal's garage.

"Okay, so uh, just make yourself at home and I'll be right back," Crystal said as she disappeared through the door leading to the interior of the house.

Cassie nodded and continued to take it all in. Along the garage walls were posters of Orianthi and of a group called The Lions. Cassie carefully studied The Lions poster. A boy sat at the drums, two girls played guitar, one girl played bass, and Crystal was at the lead mic, indicating she was the lead vocalist. Cassie smirked. _Of course_ Crystal was the lead vocalist...not that Crystal's voice had anything to do with that decision. Then again, there were much stranger things in the world.

Cassie's gaze swung down to the drums. As in the poster, a lion head emblem centered the kick drum. Unlike the emblem in the poster, though, the emblem on the drum pictured a halo above the lion's head. Interesting.

Promptly Cassie heard muffled voices coming from behind the door. One belonged to a male, and he seemed to be laughing. Crystal gasped shrilly and all of a sudden there was an "ow!" from the boy. Then the door opened and out stepped Crystal, as calm as a sleeping baby. Behind her was someone who appeared to be her younger brother. He stared at Cassie for a second before orally greeting her. _"Hello...ooooh!" _He squawked as he was pushed forward from behind. Out came another girl, who rolled her eyes.

"Don't mind Jake. He does that to all of our female friends." The teen lovingly leaned her vintage guitar up against the wall before offering her hand. "I'm Amanda, by the way." She shook Cassie's hand and smiled the most beautiful smile Cassie had ever seen.

"Hi, I'm Cassie," she said, desperately trying to put on the welcoming air.

Another girl stumbled through the door. She introduced herself as Annaliesa, Anna for short.

"Well hello, Anna!" Cassie cheerfully greeted the young teen. "I have a friend named Ana, so remembering your name should be a piece of cake!"

"Uh, yeah, sure..." Anna replied as she shot a questioning glance at Crystal. Crystal shrugged at Cassie's lame remark.

Cassie shifted her gaze from the dark, tall boy named Jake to Crystal, and then to the chestnut named Amanda, and finally her gaze settled on the young, blonde Anna. _"That's four..." _Cassie counted in her head. She turned back to Crystal, who was adjusting her mic stand. "Where is the fourth girl?"

There was clanging as Crystal's mic stand collapsed and Amanda, who was in the midst of picking up her guitar, suddenly dropped it. The siblings winced slightly at the dropping of the guitar, for it was Amanda's most prized possession.

Cassie smiled nervously. "You act as if I mentioned The Mob or something." A thick, awkward silence hung over them as the band members exchanged sorrowful glances. It was obvious they didn't want to discuss "the fourth girl."

Young but brave Anna was the first to break the silence. "Christina died. She was driving and..." Anna interrupted herself with a sniff.

"She was the eldest of us," Amanda continued as she patted Anna's back and stroked her sister's hair. "She tried driving us down to Los Angeles for a mini-concert. We got stuck in really bad traffic, and we were sideswiped from the left. We all went to the hospital for gashes and some brutal injuries. Yet we thought Christina was going to make it. But she took the worst of it and..." Amanda ran a trembling hand through her hair as she tried to get a grip on her emotions. "She's with God now."

Cassie looked at all of them. It must have been awful to lose a sister. She couldn't even imagine. She noticed that Crystal's head was turned the other way. She obviously was shedding tears of her own.  
Cassie felt guilty for the pain she had just inflicted on them and racked her brain for a way to change to a more cheerful subject. She unfolded a chair, sat down, and asked, "So why are you guys called The Lions?"

Jake spoke up. "Our last name in Loewen. Loewen is German in origin and means 'lion.' It was Christina's idea."

Cassie finally understood. The halo above the lion's head was to symbolize Christina. Cassie felt chocked up. But she wanted to say something. She needed to say something. _"I'm sorry," _for instance. "Oh..." she managed to say instead.

Jake nodded. "Yeah." Then he began to play some beats on the drums. The girls followed suit with their instruments, and Crystal tested her mic. When they were satisfied and ready to begin, Crystal turned her attention to Cassie. The awkwardness from earlier was finally dissipating.

"Hey, you ready?"

Cassie smiled. "Yep!"

"Okay! Ready? One Two Three Four..."

The next few minutes were full of banging, rocking music. And to Cassie's surprise, Crystal was _really good! _Yes, her speaking voice could be terribly annoying, but when combined with the music and a little voice synthesizing, her voice metamorphosed to that of a beautiful soprano; Crystal could be a regular rock star. Amanda was an extraordinary guitarist; almost half as good as Orianthi! Anna was exceptional at bass, and Jake was the Tico Torres of the group. But something was still missing. If Cassie could only place what.

The song ended and the siblings turned their attention to Cassie. "So," Crystal exclaimed, "what do you think?"

Standing up, Cassie answered, "You're all great! The instruments are superb, the lead vocals are outstanding, and the backup vocals are exceptional. But there's just something missing."

The three sisters shared a knowing glance. Amanda nodded at Crystal and that seemed to settle the matter. Crystal's gaze gently bore down on Cassie. "Cassie, about that favor. I kinda lied when I said we needed an audience."

**

* * *

**

It was approaching eight o'clock when Cassie returned to her dorm room. She opened the door and stepped inside. The scene awaiting her was adorable. Ana was absorbed in James Patterson's _Fourth of July_, and Mr. Jingles was curled up in Ana's lap. Cassie smiled at the scene. "Hey, Ana," she said as she shut the door. That one phrase ruined the entire display, for Cassie's simple greeting scared Ana half to death. Ana jumped, thus frightening Mr. Jingles, who screeched and sought refuge in Ana's pink slippers. He stuffed his head inside the right slipper, and his twitching tail was the only remaining visible evidence of his hiding place.

"Scary book, huh?" Cassie laughed as she hung up her coat and scarf.

Ana smiled. "No. You just caught me at an action-packed scene, that's all. Lindsay and Jacobi are chasing down two murdering kids. And the kids _shot_ Lindsay and Jacobi! Lindsay fired off some shots on the girl, but I'm not sure what's going to happen..." Ana proceeded by flipping through the pages to the end of the book.

"Don't spoil it for yourself!"

Too late. "Aww, Lindsay's lawyer becomes a part of the Women's Murder Club!" Ana smiled in satisfaction and sighed, "I love happy endings!" Then she turned her gaze back up to Cassie. "So what took you so long to get home? I thought you were going for a quick walk."

"Well," Cassie started as she plopped down on her bed, "I did. And I walked right out in front of traffic."

Anastasia silently gasped and panic filled her eyes. Her motherly instinct took over and she thus began to inspect her best friend.

"I'm fine, as you can see," Cassie stated, pushing her friend back down on the bed opposite her. "However, Crystal saved me and I ended up owing her a favor. Big time."

"Helping her with homework?" That question made both girls chuckle.

"Actually no," Cassie responded as she began to pull off her shoes. "She wants me to join her band."

Ana gaped in disbelief. _"Whaaaaaat?"_

"Mhmm."

"How can you act so nonchalant about this, Cassie?"

"I've been through a lot worse things," she answered reasonably.

Ana took a moment to register that comment. An old memory of both girls in Cassie's front yard flashed through her mind. Ana shook her head in frustration. "What did you tell her?"

Cassie folded her hands and stared at the wall for a minute. "Yes."


	9. Chapter Nine: Notorious Phone Calls

**Chapter Nine: Notorious Phone Calls**

Anastasia stared incredulously. What had she just heard her friend say? "What?" she asked slowly.

Cassie turned and faced her friend. "Yes."

"Yes...what?"

Cassie pushed her golden curls away from her face. "Yes, I am going to join the Loewens' band."

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Suddenly, Anastasia snorted and got to laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. Cassie calmly watched as Anastasia curled up into a ball and laughed her heart out. A small smile crept across Cassie's face as Anastasia started choking and gasped for air. Anastasia finally got control of herself and sat up straight. Wiping tears from her eyes, she stated, "Oh, for a moment there I thought you were serious."

Cassie folded her legs. "I am serious."

Anastasia froze, which looked rather funny, considering she was in the process of wiping her eyes. "I don't believe you, Cassie."

Cassie forced a smile as she replied, "What's so hard to believe?"

"Well, for one, the only instrument I've seen you play is the piano, and I don't take Crystal and Company as the kind of people who respect that style of music." Anastasia held up a second finger in the air. "Two, I've never seen you as the kind of girl who lives on music." A third finger popped up. "Three, I don't know how you and Crystal can survive each other for more than a few hours a day. Cassie, if you join her band, you'll have to be around her gum-popping airheadedness for hours practically every day of every week of every month."

Cassie's smile deflated. "Okay, so it's a challenge. You know I love challenges. I also am finding that Crystal _**and Company** _aren't all that bad. And you know I can sing; you heard me the other day out in front of the college. Ana, I can do this. I wouldn't have gotten myself into this if I didn't believe I could."

Anastasia shook her head stubbornly. "Fine, if it's really what you want. But I keep my word that you and Crystal won't be able to get along forever. She's irritating and conceited, and those are just a few of her problems." With that retort, Anastasia stood and, her back turned to Cassie, began to get ready for bed.

Cassie's eyes narrowed. "You know, I think you're the one who has a problem with Crystal."

Anastasia scoffed and bitterly replied, "Why me?"

Cassie held out her left index finger and mimicked her friend. "One, you seem to have a short temper sometimes, and Crystal can be _awfully _irritating when she wants to be. Two, she latched onto Dimitri's arm the other day," Cassie said a little more smugly than she meant.

Anastasia's shoulders slumped slightly. Turning her head 45 degrees West, she asked scornfully, "Are you done?"

Cassidy lowered her hand and quietly replied, "Yes."

Anastasia proceeded by removing Mr. Jingles from her slipper and placing him on her bed. Then she turned off the light and crawled under the cover, leaving Cassidy sitting on her bed, sorry and fully dressed. Cassidy sighed and fell backward. "Good night," she whispered.

**

* * *

**

_**Ring!**_

Anastasia was the first to wake from the earsplitting screech of the phone, and she quickly looked over at Cassie, who was sprawled at a right angle across her bed. Cassie woke immediately, groaned, sat up, and shared an inquisitive look with her friend.

_**Ring!**_

"Ugh," Cassie moaned, "it's gonna give me a headache." Anastasia frowned in agreement. "Ana, what time is it?" Anastasia hastily lifted her clock and focused her eyes. Just as quickly her eyes bugged out of her head. "Ana, what time is it?" Cassie repeated.

"2:13 in the morning-"

_**Ring! **_

Cassie collapsed and covered her face with her pillow. "Make it stop!"

"Something's not right," Anastasia mumbled to herself as she reached for the phone. Before Anastasia could grab the receiver, the answering machine picked up.

"Hi, this is Ana. And this is Cassie," the girls' tinny-sounding voices spoke from the machine. "You've reached the Astrid and Greene residence. Sorry we cannot come to the phone right now. Please leave your name, number, and message after the beep, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you..._Beep!_" Anastasia could be heard shouting from the background, "Cassie, how many times do I have to tell you not to _'Beep!'_? The machine does it on its own!"

Anastasia heard Cassie's laugh, despite it being muffled by the pillow. Anastasia glanced at her friend with the slightest of smiles. _"Some things will never change..."_

At that moment the machine beeped and a man's voice was heard. Anastasia recognized the voice before he even got out his name. "Hello, Ms. Greene. This is Lieutenant Carl Weinberg." Cassie shot up, now fully awake. Anastasia jumped for the receiver. "If you could please pick up-"

"Hello, hello, this is Anastasia Greene," Anastasia yelled into the machine as she pressed the speakerphone button.

"Ms. Greene, we believe we may have found our men. I'm going to pick you up personally. I'll be there in less than three minutes."

The lieutenant hung up, and Anastasia turned off the speakerphone. She glanced over at Cassie, but to her surprise she was already dressed and pulling out a jacket and shoes for her. Anastasia looked at her curiously as Cassie handed over the items of clothing. Cassie knew that look: How in the world did you get ready so fast? "You didn't give me a chance to get undressed earlier tonight," Cassie answered the unspoken question. "And I'm beginning to believe that all late phone calls are notorious."

**O~o~O**

The girls climbed into the back of Lieutenant Weinberg's patrol car. As Cassie snapped her belt in place, she exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Lieutenant Weinberg, you said that you may have found our _men?_"

Anastasia's eyes widened. "I didn't catch that over the phone. So you mean there are more than one?"

Lieutenant Weinberg shut his door and buckled his seat belt. "There may be."

The girls were left to ponder the possibilities on the way over to San Francisco Police Headquarters. But they didn't have long to think, for in no time they reached their destination and were being led into the interrogation area. They entered the observation room in which one wall was made of glass. Anastasia and Cassie hardly had any time to collect their bearings before Aunt Phlegmenkoff was led into the small cubicle. Aunt Phlegmenkoff nodded curtly at her niece and then swung her gaze to Cassie. Cassie smiled politely. Aunt Phlegmenkoff sniffed and stated, "Well hello, Miss Astrid. Why are _you_ here?"

Before Cassie could snap out of her shock, Lieutenant Weinberg stepped in. "Under normal circumstances she would not be here, ma'am, but seeing that she has been involved from the beginning and that Ms. Greene claims she needs her, we allowed for an exception." Aunt Phlegmenkoff pivoted back toward the glass, and Lieutenant Weinberg entered the interrogation room.

And together the three of them, Anastasia, Cassidy, and Aunt Phlegmenkoff, awaited the criminals to enter the adjoining room.


	10. Chapter Ten: Forgive and Forget

_Snow in San Francisco? Well, weirder things have happened. And with the crazy weather and global warming, it doesn't seem all that extraordinary. For instance, I live in a hot, dry desert, and within the span of 24 hours we had received over 15 inches of snow. 15 inches! That was the most recorded for my city in decades. I'm just saying that the weather is, well, as unpredictable as the ocean. Please enjoy this chapter, and keep in mind that we can all do a little to save the planet~!_

**Chapter Ten: Forgive and Forget**

Anastasia, Cassidy, and Aunt Phlegmenkoff stood rigidly, all of them forlornly awaiting the prisoners to be dragged into the interrogation room. Held in such suspense, they all jumped when the door creaked open and Detective Weinberg entered, followed by two burly, grimy men. Behind them a young, pretty, blonde female holding several manila folders slammed shut the heavy metal door and threw the folders on the steel desk. She shot a quick, almost inconspicuous wink at the three women behind the viewing glass, and then abruptly pivoted on her heel and faced the suspects. Placing the palms of her hands on the cold, steel table, she barked, "There's no way out of this. You two match up perfectly with our murder suspects. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I don't know how to throw the books at a couple of idiots like you two. I mean _come on,_" she exclaimed dramatically, throwing her hands high in the air, "The guns found on you two, which were purchased in your names, match the slugs found in the Greenes." At this Anastasia winced, but she appreciated that the criminals were uneasy: They couldn't look the detective in the eye and they fidgeted and squirmed nervously in their seats. Even Lieutenant Weinberg was having difficulties remaining calm and appearing strait-laced. "There are a few ways to handle this," the woman detective continued. She took a deep breath and straightened her gray tailored suit. Suddenly she slammed her hands on the table and her icy blue eyes stared through the two burly morons. She spoke through her teeth, hissing every syllable. "You can confess. Or, you can be tried, convicted, sentenced to life, and rot away in prison. But you will _**never**_ escape the truth."

Cassidy hardly contained herself, she wanted so badly to jump, pump her arm, and do a victory dance in celebration. Instead, she whistled, "That chick is good."

"That chick" is Detective Juliet O'Neill. She had met Anastasia, Ms. Phlegmenkoff, and Cassidy shortly after Mr. and Mrs. Greene were proclaimed dead at the hospital. She had stayed behind to examine the crime scene, so she was late in arriving at the hospital. But upon arrival she assured the three women that she would do whatever it took to bring in the enemy/enemies. Most of the time Lieutenant Weinberg dealt with the family, for he was O'Neill's superior and hence would be working more closely with the family. But on this present day of interrogation he had decided to let his new comrade battle it out with the men she had helped bring to justice.

One of the two grimy men tapped his fingers on his leg. The other's lips quivered. The quivering one was the first to break. "It was an accident."

"Emilio!" the other screamed hoarsely, slapping his partner alongside the back of the head.

Anastasia blanched and Cassidy hugged her friend tightly. Even Aunt Phlegmenkoff, thinking it was an embrace of celebration, joined in. The criminals had confessed.

In the interrogation room, Detective Juliet O'Neill straightened up once again—which caught the attention of the three embracing women—and they saw the faintest smirk was evident on her face.

"Dabney," Emilio spoke, "we can't hide this forever. They would have found out sooner or later."

Detective Juliet O'Neill hardly held back a chuckle as she glanced over at Weinberg. _"Dabney?"_ she mouthed.

"Listen," Emilio pleaded, "They drove a car very similar to one we were tracking. We-"

"And by 'they' you mean the victims?" Lieutenant Weinberg questioned.

Emilio nodded slowly before continuing, "You see, we thought it—the car—belonged to a rival gang leader that we've been in competition with." At this, Juliet O'Neill pulled up her chair and began flipping through one of the manila folders. "You see, he was pushing us off our territory. So we started trackin' him. He lived in that residential area. He was the Average Joe, the inconspicuous type that nobody would suspect. He happened to drive a similar car. It was all a misunderstanding. Really."

By that time the other man had "headed" the table and refused to look up. Juliet sighed and closed the folder. "Thank you, Emilio. I'm sure the _Cinco Gente_ love the SFPD knowing their general location." At the sudden realization that he had just betrayed his "brotherhood," Emilio cried out in despair. "I'm not done yet, so don't interrupt," Juliet snapped. "I can make it even. Who is this Average Joe, and of what gang is he?"

"Max Robespierre and he's of the Reign of Terror."

"I'm guessing that's either his gang name," Juliet commented dryly, sharing an annoyed look with Weinberg, "Or you just gave me a load of..."

Emilio snorted. "That's his gang name. I don't know his real name."

"It's Scotty Thornton," the other _Cinco Gente_ member, Dabney, muttered.

Juliet nodded. "We're done here." Weinberg called for security. Within seconds the heavy metal door opened and the two cuffed gang members were hustled to their feet. "Book 'em," Juliet and Weinberg announced in unison. The murderers were led away, and the two comrades jubilantly high-fived each other.

Anastasia was still shell-shocked and was a gaping frozen sculpture when Detective O'Neill and Lieutenant Weinberg entered the observation room. Cassie finally allowed herself a victory dance. Forming a V with the fore and middle fingers of her left hand, she shouted, "Woooo! It's V-Day!"

Juliet laughed at Cassie's antics. "Well, it certainly feels that way for the good guys."

Aunt Phlegmenkoff sniffed, and wiping her eyes, she thanked O'Neill and Weinberg for their work. She even shook their hands. Cassie, of course, couldn't keep still and ended up shaking Weinberg's hand and hugging O'Neill. "You were just _great_ out there!" she concluded.

But no gratitude was sweeter than that which they received from Anastasia. The girl, who had been quiet during the entire interrogation and celebration, stared at Weinberg and O'Neill for a few moments. She slowly stepped over to Weinberg and O'Neill. She then threw her arms around them in the biggest group hug she could. "I love you guys," she sobbed happily.

**O~o~O~o~O**

After making the arrest official, the girls were driven back to their dormitory. By this time it was about an hour before classes were due to start. The girls showered up and soon were ready to go. Cassie was first to be ready, for she was still on an adrenaline high. "Ana," she called as pulled on her tan jacket, "I'm gonna head on out. I would like to meet up with Crystal and chat before the day starts."

"Okay," Anastasia said half-heartedly after spitting into the sink. "I have to finish brushing my teeth."

"All right," Cassie replied as she wrapped her pink scarf around her neck. "If that's all you have left then I'll just wait."

Anastasia placed her toothbrush in the toothbrush jar and said dryly, "No, I don't want to keep you from Crystal. Besides, I have a splitting headache. I might take something for it before I leave."

Cassie thought she detected a bit of hostility in Anastasia's tone. She wondered if Ana could still be mad at her for the Ana + Crystal + Dimitri love triangle reference she hinted at that night. She considered apologizing, but just as quickly shrugged it off and closed the door behind her. Knowing Anastasia, it was best to keep a distance until Ana was willing to move on and talk about it.

**O~o~O**

"Hey Cass," Crystal greeted her new friend as they met up in the corridor.

"Hey you," Cassie replied as she gave Crystal a playful nudge.

"Where's Ana?" Crystal asked with a pop of her gum.

Cassie shrugged indifferently. "She has a really bad, nagging headache. I'm guessing it's a migraine. And you know how those are."

Crystal seemed to have already lost interest in her own question, for she was scrutinizing Cassidy in a critical matter. "You look terrible. What happened to you?" she asked as she picked at an out-of-place strand of hair. "Your hair deflated!"

Cassie's eyes darted nervously from Crystal to the linoleum floor. She fibbed, "Uh...well..I kinda pulled an all-nighter-"

"If you're gonna be a part of The Lions, you're gonna havta be lookin' your best 24/7, girl. Oh, that reminds me. We—The Lions—were thinking of changing our name to The Lions and the Lamb, due to the addition of a new member."

Who was this new member? Fatigue finally catching up with her, Cassie shot Crystal a quizzical glance, only to be met with a sly smile and a heartfelt wink. Cassie grinned in return. But the moment was shattered by the jarring bell signaling class time. "See you later," Cassie started to say.

"Cassie, come to my place afterwards. Me and my sibs needa get to know ya better. We're all gonna tell stories that reveal a bit about ourselves."

"Can't wait," Cassie replied as she waved goodbye.

**

* * *

**

Anastasia collapsed as soon as Cassidy had left. Falling onto the carpeted floor, she cupped her face in her hands. This was all just too much. How many problems was she expected to juggle at once? She had (1.) her parents' murders, (2.) her growing colorblindness, (3.) Weekends with Aunt Phlegmenkoff, (4.) Dimitri for her lab partner, and (5.) Crystal, who seemed to be stealing people away from her left-and-right. Yes, she was angry with Cassidy for suggesting a love triangle. _"Especially since it's not true,"_ she told herself in a willful misconception. Yet she was angriest with the fact that Cassie would be spending so much quality time without her; her best friend, her sister. And then an old saying that her father used to say flashed through her mind: The greater the struggle, the greater the reward.

_"I hope,"_ she thought. But the saying did raise her spirits some. She straightened up. Mr. Jingles ran over, and purring, lay in her lap. Stroking his head, she told herself, "Everything happens for a reason." Finding comfort and encouragement in the saying, she picked up Mr. Jingles and placed him on the bed. Hands on her hips, she asked rhetorically, "There's nothing like meditation, am I right?" Not waiting for an imaginary answer, she grabbed her old charcoal gray cabbie hat, navy blue scarf, fading brown trench coat and worn cayenne boots, and purposefully slammed the dorm door behind her.

Inside, Mr. Jingles rolled onto his side, meowed, and covered his eyes with his paw.

**

* * *

**

Cassie tapped her foot in the academy hallway. She then, for the 69th time that day, checked her watch. In two minutes, school would be officially out for the day. And Ana had never shown.

After a few unsuccessful calls to their dorm room and Anastasia's cellular phone, during the lunch break Cassidy fearfully alerted the headmaster, who also tried calling their dorm room. When that attempt failed, he tried Anastasia's cell phone, much to the dismay of Cassidy. "I tried that already!" she cried. Yet he tried anyway and was forced to leave a voice message. Before they could do anything else, though, Cassie's cell buzzed and Anastasia's number flashed on the screen. Flipping open the phone, she read aloud the following message:

**Cassie, I'm fine. Plz tell Headmaster Jerkins that I didn't show bcuz I'm ill. My cell was off, so I didn't c the 11 missed calls & 9 txts. Sorry. :( I'll c u l8r, sweetie. -Ana Emelia G. }i{**

Cassie sighed in relief.

"How are we to be certain this is credible?" Headmaster Jerkins asked, glancing over the rims of his frameless glasses at the beaming girl.

Cassie grinned. "She signed it 'Ana Emelia G.' I was just giving her a hard time about her middle name. And hardly _anyone_ knows her middle name. She calls me 'sweetie,' and she also is, I believe, the only student in this entire college who addresses you as Headmaster Jerk-_**ins**_."

The golden-haired maiden smiled absentmindedly as she recalled the conversation from earlier that day. Her recollection was broken when the headmaster's door swung open and out strutted Crystal. "Hey," Crystal said, breaking into a smile, "you waited for me."

"Of course..." Cassie replied modestly, despite being a little astounded at the genuine surprise carrying in Crystal's voice. And then Cassie was struck with a thought. "What were you doing in the headmaster's office, Crystal?"

Crystal shook her head defiantly. "I was in there for nothin'." Silence. Cassie waited, but there wasn't even a single pop of gum to fill the awkward silence. Cassie rolled her eyes, realizing Crystal wasn't going to break. They continued down the hall, and as they walked through the doors, Crystal stamped her foot indignantly. "It's just not fair!" Cassie shot a surprised glance at Crystal. Sighing, the raven-haired, now gumless girl continued, "It happened in the gym."

Cassie patted Crystal on the back. "Save it for storytelling hour."

**O~o~O~o~O**

Crystal, Cassie, Amanda, Anna, and Jake all sat around a small, rectangle-shaped coffee table on the living room floor. "And now," Crystal said dramatically, rising to her knees. She lifted her glass skyward and proclaimed, "Cheers to our newest member Cassie! And to the renaming of our group to The Lions and the Lamb!"

"Woooo!" the rest chorused as they clinked their soda glasses together.

"And _now,_" Crystal said, sinking back down, "time for us to tell about ourselves."

"Oh boy," Amanda said, leaning back on her elbows. "This is gonna be _muy interesante._"

Anna chuckled. _"Sí, mí hermana." _

Crystal shook her head. "Okay, first of all, avoid all _Español_. I have no idea what y'all are saying-"

"Then how do you know we were conversing in Spanish?" Amanda retorted.

"And secondly, I go first!" Crystal continued, completely ignoring her sister's smart-mouthed question. She then proceeded to sip her Diet Coke, all the while glancing mischievously at the rest of the group. "This happened today. Okay, so as you know, I was in the gym, and we were playing volleyball. Well, Shelley Gibson, the volleyball prodigy, was serving and striking all over the place-"

"Spiking," Jake chimed.

"Mmm?" Crystal responded, sipping her soda.

"It's spiking, not striking."

Crystal shrugged indifferently. "Whatev. Anyway, _as I was saying,_ Shelley was being the superstar. And she was doing everything. So I was kind of, well, appearing to suck. And then she had the gall to turn to me and say, 'What's wrong, Crystal? Is it all a little _over your head?_' "

This siblings exchanged disgusted glances.

"So I'm not the brightest lightbulb," Crystal continued, "and I know that. But seriously, that was mean! She doesn't have to rub it in. I mean, I don't see her in local theatre or singing her heart out in front of hundreds-"

"Dozens," Jake corrected.

"Dozens of people."

"Yeah!" her sisters agreed in unison.

Crystal nodded. "I held control of my temper for a few more serves, but the longer I stared at the back of her perfectly platinum head, the madder I got. _Finally_ it was my turn to serve, and, well..."

"Ooooh, you didn't!" Amanda exclaimed excitedly, pushing herself up in a more upright position.

Crystal nodded solemnly. "I served at her head. Bullseye. And. Ended up in Headmaster _Jerk's_ office. He even took my gum away!"

Amanda shook her head and reached for her Sprite. "Typical." She gulped down a mouthful of soda and then said, "And of course all the boys go for that too-good-to-be-around-others and too-pretty-to-hang-out-with-common filth stereotypical girls. Which preludes-" She looked at Crystal. "jumpstarts-" She returned her gaze to the audience in general. "my short story."

Jake, being her older brother, looked a bit uncomfortable with Amanda's choice of story topic. On the other hand, Cassie's eyes glistened with interest, as did Crystal's.

Amanda sighed, tossed her brown chestnut hair over her shoulders, leaned back on her elbows, and began her story.

"This happened last year. So I was a high school sophomore. And I was best friends with Deirdre Lanson. At least I thought. She became a cheerleader. I stayed in the school's orchestra. Well, we were spending less and less time together, and all the while she was being brainwashed more and more. Her interests were changing. We tried to find a way to spend more time together, and we decided that the best way to do that was if I went shopping at the mall with Deirdre and her cronies. So I ceded and participated in their favorite activity. But they tried to tell me what to buy, how to act. I put on a show of appreciation, though I was feeling exactly the opposite, if you know what I mean. Anyway, Deirdre spied with her little eye a group of senior boys—they were at the food court. Deirdre wanted to go over and talk to them. I was a bit reluctant, mostly because Chad, my crush, was one of the boys. The girls said they would help me out, after finding that I was too shy to talk with him. So we all walked up, and Deirdre turned on the charm like _that._" Amanda snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. "Deirdre 'tried' to talk me up, but it just made me look like a total loser. You know, those little backhanded comments?"

"Mhmm," Anna muttered in agreement.

"You got that right, girl," Crystal voiced.

Amanda nodded. "By the end of the day she marched out of that mall on Chad's arm."

There was an audible gasp from Cassie. "I would never do that to Ana, and she would never do that to me... I can't even imagine..."

Amanda smiled. "I'm glad for you, Cassie.

"I confronted Deirdre that night, and her words will stick with me forever. Direct quote: 'Well, Amanda, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can't help it that you're dull and boring and have no personality.' " There was a chorus of gasping from the rest of the group. "And I said..." Amanda hesitated and wiped her right eye, "and I said, 'Deirdre, I'm sorry you don't appreciate me for who I am. But no matter how hard you try, you are not going to change me. And Deirdre, I'm sorry for you; you have no character.' "

"Wooooo!" The rest of the group cheered. Crystal and Anna high-fived each other, and Cassie asked, "Then what happened?"

"She became Homecoming Queen and the most popular girl in the school. Chad had his stint with Dee Dee for one month before moving on to one of the cronies, and as for me, well..." Amanda smiled sheepishly, her hesitation holding everyone in suspense, "I stayed me."

"Good for you, girl!" Crystal exclaimed, giving her sister a monster hug. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Amanda blushed. "It's...it's embarrassing."

Crystal was about to retort when Annaleisa cleared her throat. "I have a story too, and it's gonna beat both of yours combined!"

"Oh really?" Crystal feigned a cynical tone.

"Yes, really," Anna replied smugly as she crossed her arms.

"Alright then, let's hear it," said Jake.

"Well, I love animals. Always have. Back when we lived in Napa-"

"You lived in _Napa Valley?_" Cassie exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yep. Six years ago; I was what, nine?" she asked, turning to her sisters.

"Yeah; I remember because I was eleven," Amanda recalled in a dreamy voice.

"So I was nine and obsessed with horses. Still am obsessed, actually. Well, one day, as we were driving to the supermarket, we were pulling out from our ranch and-"

"You had a ranch?"

"Sure, five acres worth; it was a rather small ranch, but..." Anna stopped, looking a bit irritated. "Cassie, if you keep interrupting I'm never gonna finish."

"My apologies."

"Where was I? Oh, pulling out, and alongside our road we found an unmarked pony. Ya see, ranchers mark the animals with symbols so that they can keep track and stuff. Anyways, this little fella was unmarked. Our father put out a notice to the local ranchers, but none of 'em claimed to be missin' a pony. And that's when I got the idea to keep it. After all, I always wanted one of my own. I asked our parents, and they said I could as long as I was responsible for its food, water, clean-up, and all that stuff. And, of course, if no one claimed her. I promised and crossed my heart.

"I named her Betsy. I took real good care of that girl. Washed it. Fed it. Rode it—you know a growing horse needs its exercise—and gosh darn believed Betsy was the greatest thing that happened to me.

"Then, one day a fella from outta town knocked on our front door asking if we had found an unmarked brown colt with a black mane and tail and a white diamond between the eyes. He was describing Betsy. My dad asked how Betsy got lost several miles away from her 'home' stable. The guy's story was that he had been visiting someone nearby, and he had taken Betsy with him. Apparently, she had gotten lost during the night—don't know why he didn't alert the person he was staying with—and seeing that he had not yet had the chance to mark the colt, well, it took him a while to find her. But those were the best three days of my life. No regrets.

"During the summer I'm free to visit her anytime I want—that is, anytime Mom and Dad drive over to Napa Valley. At least I'm not totally deprived of my sweet Betsy!"

"Wow," Cassie said, "you really seem to know how to look on the bright side of things."

Anna shrugged. "Eh, it's a gift."

Amanda gave her younger sister a noogie. "You silly gal. By the way, I don't recall you having a southern accent. Where did you pick that up so quickly, darlin'?"

Anna playfully pushed Amanda away. "I'll tell you when pigs sprout wings."

Amanda laughed. "With advances in genetic engineering, that's not all that far away!"

"All right girls, that's enough. Dearest Jake still has yet to share his personal story."

"Nice try, Crystal, but I have nothing to tell," he said coolly as he grabbed a handful of BBQ Fritos from the chip bowl.

"Yes you do. How about that time you almost blew up the school's chemistry lab?"

Jake raised a halting hand. "'Nough said." He leaned forward. "Cassie, here's all you need to know about me: I'm 19, I like girls, and music is my life."

Cassie laughed, "Good to know."

Jake nodded at her. "Your turn, Blondie."

Cassie settled back against the foot of the sofa and sighed before protesting, "There have been so many interesting personal revelations that I honestly can't pick one."

"Choose one that exposes a different side of yourself," Amanda suggested as she reached for the BBQ Fritos. "Perhaps one in which your life was significantly altered due to a choice hinging on a special relationship." Amanda was met with blank stares. After several moments of silence she challenged, "What? Do I not have the right to be insightful and philosophical sometimes?"

"I **do** have a story," Cassie whispered abruptly. All eyes pivoted toward the golden-haired beauty. "This happened back when I was your age, Anna.

"My father's brother, Uncle Joe, was getting married at his seaside house in Santa Barbara. There was extra space at his house, and he invited us to stay down there for the weekend. So I packed my things and headed down with the family. We arrived on the eve of the wedding.

"The wedding was fantastic, but to me the most breathtaking moments were spent standing on 'my' bedroom balcony, staring out at the aquamarine ocean." The recollection in Cassie's mind was vivid. Lost in reminiscing, she pulled her knees up close to her.

"It was approaching dusk, and after the reception, I went up to the balcony and stared out at the party below. I was enjoying the scene, watching people laughing and dancing. Among them I saw a boy, about 18, whom I didn't recognize. He was making his way toward the house. He must have sensed my inquisitive stare because, once clear of most of the party-goers, he stopped in this tracks and looked up at me. He smiled and waved and called, 'Hello!' I returned the small pleasantry. 'Won't you venture down or are you shy?' "

" 'I'm enjoying the gorgeous view," I called down to him.

He smiled. " 'What's your name?' "

" 'Cassidy,' " I said coyly.

"He repeated my name with a smile. I returned the smile, and then he turned back toward the party, evidentially forgetting his reason for heading toward the house in the first place."

Stuck in her reverie, Cassidy didn't realize that the eyes of her audience were filled with complete rapture and were intensely riveted upon her.

"Little did I know that I'd be seeing him later that evening, and that he'd be tossing pebbles at my window. I stepped onto the balcony and asked what he wanted. He gestured for me to go down to the beach. So I went back inside, slipped on my sneakers, and opened my bedroom door. I skipped down the stairs, and soon I could see his shaggy-haired head through the glass-paned doors. I joined him outside in the brisk, sea air, and we walked, and he told me his life story. Scott was the neighbor's son, and he worked odd jobs for my Uncle Joe. I told Scott that I'm Joe's niece. We got to talking about things—and we talked for what seemed hours. When we finally wandered back, I saw that the hallway light was on in my uncle's house. I didn't really give it a second thought until I opened the door and saw my father standing on the staircase, anxiously awaiting my return.

" 'Cassidy! That boy is a troublemaker,' " he shouted as he yanked me away from Scott. "'Believe me, I heard enough from the own boy's father earlier tonight! He almost cost one girl her life.'

"Scott had his share of juvenile run-ins with the law, I knew. Scott was honest enough to confide in me that. And the girl was his first girlfriend. He was driving her home and had a bad accident in which she landed in the hospital with three broken ribs," Cassidy explained.

"I was about to rejoin but before I had the chance Scott took my hand and whispered, 'Meet me in my yard's garden.' Then his fingers slipped from mine. Yet, despite his words, I glued my eyes to him, wishing him not to go.

"Once I received my scolding, was ordered never to see Scott again, and had learned that my squeaky bedroom door had given me away, I returned to my room. As I waited for Dad to quiet down in the adjoining room, I schemed up a way to get down to the garden. _C____liché__, _yes. Practical, absolutely. I tied my sheets together, and then tied one end to the balcony banister. No longer hearing my parents discussing how to run my life, I realized they must have calmed down enough to consider sleeping. That's when I descended my rope of sheets and sneaked over to the garden.

"We kept quiet because we'd be dead if Dad knew.

"Soon it was approaching dawn. 'Scott, promise me that someday you'll take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting. Just...just say yes,' I begged.

" 'Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess...somehow.' In the garden Scott had promised me that he'd someday come. He'd never forget me.

"The next day we left for San Fran." Cassie allowed herself a sigh, and her happy expression darkened. "I grew tired of waiting and wondering if he was ever coming around. But he never did, and I eventually gave up on him."

"He never called or anything?" Amanda asked, shocked.

"No. However, that experience made me stronger and has helped me learn not to trust people immediately after meeting them; I have to get to now them first."

Annaliesa pulled a Kleenex from the tissue box on the table and blew her nose. Jake had his face turned away. "Wow," Crystal muttered. "That was quite a story. And you said it was impossible to pick one to tell. Are all the other stories that movin'?"

Cassie faked a convincing laugh. "No, not all of them. But some are, yes." Cassie glanced down at her watch and gasped. "Crystal, it's 4:25! We need to head over to the dorms to work on the project."

"Oh yeah, about that," Crystal said, twirling a strand of her raven hair, "Can't make it. We're going out for Mom's b-day."

"I understand," Cassie replied, stretching her legs.

"Oh wait!" Crystal cried in a sudden sense of urgency. "I needa tell you guys something. It's BIG news and I wanted to save it for last. I just found out early today. Our friend, Jessie, is kinda in the music business; she's not big yet, but she's doing some small tours and stuff with another band—I forget the name—but anyways, she's one of the openers, and she pushed some buttons and got us a spot as the first opening act!" Crystal exclaimed all in one breath.

Nobody cared to correct Crystal and say that she meant "pulled some strings." Everybody squealed in delight. Anna almost hyperventilated. Nobody could believe the news.

"When you say big, you mean _monstrous!_" Anna shouted jubilantly as she jumped up and down, giving each sibling a huge hug.

Clearing her throat, Crystal announced, "This could be our big break! We'll be given a set of five songs. Oh! And the concert is going to be at the Great American Music Hall." Crystal turned her attention to Cassie. "It's next weekend. It's short notice, but we're lucky Jess was able to get us in at all. Do you think you can make it?"

For the first time in all of the celebration hullabaloo, Cassie fully realized the magnitude of the situation. She was a part of their band! She'd be performing in front of people! At the abrupt realization she began to sweat and put a hand to her forehead. "Gosh...I...yeah," she stammered in genuine shock.

"Great!" Crystal exclaimed as she slapped her friend on the back. "There's just one little catch to it."

Cassie was beginning to tremor uncontrollably. "What's that?"

"You proved to us you can sing; I mean, you got the voice of an angel. But how are you with instruments?"

"Uh," Cassie said shakily, trying to collect her thoughts, "I play piano, violin, and uh, piano violin, and my uncle taught me a bit of classical guitar, since he owned one. Yeah..."

"Um, okay. Brush up on guitar and learn these songs," Crystal instructed as she snatched a CD off the coffee table and handed the disc to the trembling girl. "And, in order to make your joining _official_ official, you need to write us a piece."

Cassie glared at her incredulously. "What?"

"It's a rule we came up with a while ago," Amanda explained. "It ensures each member can do a bit of everything. Ya know, be a real musician."

"But what am I supposed to write about?" Cassie asked in sheer exasperation and fear.

"Anything. A place, a person, an experience. Something that has changed your life, inspired you. Anything goes, just as long as it comes from your heart."

"Yeah," Crystal chimed, "So just make sure you have our song by this Friday."

**

* * *

**

It was nearly six o'clock and dusk was approaching. Anastasia was to meet Dimitri at his dorm to continue work on their project an hour ago. But Anastasia had apparently performed a vanishing act. Thinking she was intentionally blowing him off, Dimitri stormed over to Dorm 517 and pounded on the door. A few seconds passed before the door creaked open, revealing a blonde mess in an off-white tee and pink pajama bottoms. Her hair was mussed and she grasped a pen and scribbled-on notepad in her right hand. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"Who? Ana?" Cassie asked in honest-to-goodness befuddlement.

He didn't seem to hear her. "I can't believe this," he fumed. "She blew off our project..._again_. Is she here?"

Alarmed, Cassie's voice escalated. "No, I thought she was with you."

"Well, where _IS_ she?"

Cassie leaned up against the door frame. "She told me she was feeling ill..."

Before Dimitri could respond, she snapped her fingers. "I think I know where she is." Rushing to the coat closet, she called over her shoulder, "Grab your jacket."

A few minutes later...

Cassie, decked out in her tan jacket, pink scarf and pajama bottoms, and faux suede Bear Claw boots, locked her door. Turning toward Dorm 515, she saw Dimitri exiting his room. His heavy, black wool jacket covered his gray and red horizontal-striped sweater. He was sporting a gray, black, and white-checkered wool newsboy cap. "All I said was to get a jacket, not prepare for the Ice Age," Cassie said as he looked his door.

Turning, he said lightly, "I have not yet had the chance to go shopping. It gets cold in Russia." His expression returned to serious. "So where did she go?"

"Well," Cassie said, taking a step forward, "I can't be sure of anything. But my hunches are almost never wrong.

"Dimitri," she said quietly as they began down the hallway, "you need to know that she didn't disappear because of you, if that's what you were thinking. It's really because, well, she's been having personal issues that are really stressing her out right now. And, well, I kind of upset her and never apologized."

"What did you do?" he asked, his tone softened.

"Pushed her buttons to prove my point. I think there may be an underlying reason to her vulnerability to me right now, but I just can't place my finger on it.

"Now, where we're going is a place in Buena Vista Park in which she often sought refuge growing up. She calls it her 'Sacred Meditation Spot'. It's secluded. A real beauty too."

"Sounds intriguing."

"Trust me, it should be one of the world's Seven Wonders."

**O~o~O**

Twenty minutes later Cassidy was leading Dimitri through a small, forest-like park. Snow crunched beneath their feet with every step. Dimitri took in the scenery. The whole place was filled with trees and snow. The snow glistened, shining an iridescent blue. It was unusual. Snow was packed onto the bare trees' branches. And then there was the clearing. Not huge, but roomy. In the clearing there was a frozen-over pond, and it reflected a bluish sheen. It looked like a scene from a fairy tale; a place one only sees in pictures or in the mind's eye. It was surreal.

Rounding a cluster of skeleton trees, Cassidy stopped short. Approximately 16 yards in front of her was Anastasia, huddled and crying into her knees.

Dimitri spotted Cassie and snapped back into reality. Following her gaze, he caught sight of the girl huddled in a corner of the clearing. Immediately he ran to her aid. _"Anya..."_ He knelt beside her.

Cassidy kept her distance, remaining in the shadows of the trees. She looked on in awe and wonder.

Dimitri removed his wool coat and wrapped it around Anastasia. As he was finishing wrapping her in the coat, she muttered, "Oh, Dimitri," and began to sob onto him.

"It's okay. I'm here."

Cassidy's eyes welled up at the display.

Finally Dimitri soothingly said, "Now come on, get up." He helped her to her feet and began to lead her away from the Sacred Meditation Spot. Approaching the shadows of where Cassie stood, Anastasia saw her friend. The two girls exchanged glances that left words unneeded, and together the three of them left the forest.

**O~o~O**

Cassie and Ana sat in their dorm room, Ana sipping her Starbucks venti pumpkin spice soy latte.

"I felt like Crystal was taking you away from me—which, mind you, I realized is silly. I'm sorry I overreacted," Anastasia confessed to her friend.

"You funny girl," Cassie laughed, pulling off her friend's shoes.

Anastasia sighed. "I thought meditating would help, but being alone out there...it just brought up memories and with everything else going on...you get the picture."

Cassie yanked off the second shoe. "When you hurt, I hurt. It's so good to see you back to your old self, Ana."

"I couldn't agree more," Ana proclaimed.

Cassie plunked herself on her bed only to be jumped upon by Mr. Jingles. "Silly cat!" she laughed.

But Ana saw something more in Cassie's smile. "Cassidy Vivianne Astrid, what art thou hiding from me?"

"Okay," Cassie said excitedly as she popped upright. "The band name was changed to The Lions and the Lamb—that's me!—and we're gonna be opening for some band this weekend!"

"No way!" Anastasia gasped, almost spilling her latte all over herself.

"Yes way!" Cassie clutched Mr. Jingles and squeezed so tightly he started to wheeze. She looked down and, seeing the squished cat, released her vice-like grip and the girls watched him dart into Anastasia's slipper. Laughing, Cassie continued, "I guess the Loewens have a friend who pulled some strings. She got us in and we'll be performing a five-song set!"

"Omigosh, Cassie, this is unbelievable!" Ana squealed, setting down her cup to give her friend a hug.

"And that's not all. I gotta write a song!" Cassie announced in an excited, yet scared, tone.

"Will your group be performing it?" Ana asked, shocked.

Cassie waved her hand dismissively. "No, of course not. They're not gonna want to play something of mine. It'll have too much emotion and not enough rock." Cassie laughed self-consciously.

Ana quizzically studied her friend. "Why do you have to write a song?"

Cassie grinned. "I'll tell ya all about it!"


	11. Chapter Eleven: Comic Endeavors

_Bedingfield, Natasha. "Happy." Lyrics. Pocketful of Sunshine. Sony, 2005 (?)._

_SecretHeart20, you're amazing!_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Eleven: Comic Endeavors**

Ana awoke early the next morning feeling tired, exhausted, and yet, totally awesome. After chatting and laughing through the first half of the night with Cassie, Ana had come to see that things were, in a sense, falling back into place. _"As Natasha Bedingfield says, 'Got my dreams, got my life, got my love. Got my friends, got the sunshine above. Why am I making this hard on myself when there's so many beautiful reasons I have to be happy?' Today, I'm going to begin using that as my motto," _Anastasia promised herself.

Humming the melody of "Happy," Anastasia opened her eyes. Smiling to herself, she nuzzled Mr. Jingles, who was curled into her, and she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

As she petted Mr. Jingles, she found her mind drift to Dimitri. _"Wait. What?" _Images of him wrapping his coat around her and of the two of them exiting the forest flooded her memory. _"Cassie was there too!"_ she reminded herself. But her recollections were of right after he had helped her to her feet and they had started back. She tried to shake them lose from her mind, but the more she tried to escape the mental images, the more she thought about him. _"Get a grip on yourself, Anya—HUH?" _She stared at Mr. Jingles in wide-eyed horror. "Ana!" she shouted, correcting herself and nearly waking up Cassie, who had moaned and rolled onto her stomach, smothering her head with her pillow in response.

Hoping to get her mind distracted, she glanced at the clock. 5:30. Good. She could grab a quick breakfast and start getting ready. And there was Cassie's wonderful news that was worth thinking over and admiring once more; that would help get her mind in the right direction. Her attempts proved successful.

At six she decided she'd wake her snoozing friend. Her tactic for this morning was to flip on the lights and yell, "Fire! Fire!" That would give Cassie a rude awakening, would it not? Smiling at her devilish concoction of a prank, Ana flipped on the overhead lights. And found that everything on which she set her eyes was _extremely_ faded of color. It was almost like looking through a light gray filter.

Realizing her colorblindness had decided to take a drastic turn for the worse, Ana plopped down in the apartment's only chair. Purring, Mr. Jingles rubbed up against her legs. She reached down and picked him up, leveling his eyes with hers. "I really gotta see my optician," she whispered to her cat, "and after that my psychiatrist. And then I'll get a therapist." Even so, she wasn't going to let this deter her plan for looking on the bright side of things.

Placing Mr. Jingles back down on the floor, she smiled mischievously. Jumping up, she cried, "Cassie, wake up! Fire!"

Cassie jolted upright. "Wha...where?" she slurred in a drowsy panic. Trying to jump out of bed and finding her legs still limp, Cassie tumbled to the floor in a heap. Popping upright, she rushed for the door and began a mad dash down the hall.

Inside, Ana shut the door behind Cassidy and laughed her heart out.

Halfway through the corridor, Cassie stopped short. Why wasn't Ana right behind her? Realization shooting through her, Cassie narrowed her eyes and slowly marched back to Dorm 517.

The door creaked as Cassie pushed it ajar. Hearing Ana in hysterics, Cassie threw the door open the rest of the way, causing it to bounce off the door stopper.

The sleepy girl with a frizzled mop of blonde hair glared daggers at her still-laughing friend. "Ana," she said in a surprisingly calm tone, "I'm going to kill you!" Cassie dashed toward Ana, who was using both beds as a partial barrier. However, they were no obstacle for the sprinting girl. Leaping and clearing the first one easily, Cassie found herself in a stand-off with Ana. After a few seconds of mindlessly staring at one another, she and her greatest friend in the world erupted into laughter.

**O~o~O**

Anastasia taped a note to Dimitri's door that read, "Hey, Dimitri! Something personal came up this morning and I have to take care of it ASAP. We'll have to postpone our assignment work 'til tomorrow evening. So sorry! I'll make it up to you, promise. :) -Ana."

Then, arm-in-arm with Cassidy, the two girls strode down the corridor toward their classes.

Telling Cassidy about her predicament and plans was tough, but getting it out in the open made Ana feel much better. If only it could have done the same for Cassidy. Though putting up a brave front, Cassie felt discouraged and concerned for Ana. Ana was her best friend. If anything ever happened to her... Cassie didn't want to think about it. At least Ana's lightened mood was somewhat contagious. After all, how down can one be with such joyful company?

**

* * *

**

"Anastasia Green," the optician's assistant called.

Anastasia straightened her shirt and marched into her optician's office. Taking a seat in the small box-like room, the assistant said, "He'll be right with you."

5 minutes later...

"What seems to be the problem, Miss Greene?"

"Discoloration. Oh, not of the eyes themselves. More like my sight...

". . . And this morning when I awoke it seemed almost as if I was peering through a gray filter. Everything is so discolored and faded. It's like looking at faded color photos from the 40's."

Dr. Anderson scratched his chin. "You really weren't joking when you said you had an emergency."

"Oh, it's no joke, Sir," Anastasia assured him, folding her hands.

"I believe you."

"I hope my walk-in didn't throw you too off schedule."

Dr. Anderson threw her a curious look. "With your problem you shouldn't be worrying about my schedule."

Before she had a chance to ask what he meant by _that_, he continued, "Hmmm. And you say this happened during a period of severe emotional and mental stress?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well, let's take a look at those eyes of yours."

After a series of tests and examinations, Dr. Anderson proclaimed in an exasperated tone, "This is the oddest case I've ever seen. I have no idea what's wrong. I can't find anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps your cones are experiencing extra stress." He shrugged his shoulders. "And it's only the loss of color? No distortions of shape or size or depth perception? No loss of sight? Blurred vision? Nothing else?

"That's correct."

Dr. Anderson rubbed his eyes in an attempt to calm the frustration mounting inside his head. "I'll see what I can do, Miss Greene. In the meantime, perhaps—now don't take offense—you should see a psychiatrist."

Anastasia nodded enthusiastically. Smiling, she replied, "Yes, I called during my lunch hour saying it's an emergency. I'm going straight there after we're done here."

At the psychiatrist's...

Dr. Wells scribbled notes on a pad of paper. "Ana, I have found a few things you can work on."

Anastasia sat up expectantly. "Like what?"

"Expressing your feelings is healthy," Dr. Wells explained, "but it's not wise to hurt others in the process of expressing your anxiety and anger."

"Yes, Ma'am, I know."

"So I suggest you record all your thoughts in a journal or diary. Vent with some friends. Handle your feelings appropriately."

"Yes Ma'am."

"That includes acknowledging your positive feelings. And never masking them or trying to hide a very important truth from yourself."

"Yes..." Ana's expression switched to one of confusion. "What? I'm always freely expressing my happiness."

Dr. Wells smiled faintly. "Not just happiness... Ana, I think you are neglecting a very important feeling."

"What am I neglecting, Dr. Wells?" Ana asked, leaning forward.

"Love."

Ana slumped back in her seat and nearly snorted. "Lady say what?"

"You're masking over your true feelings of love and affection with a mask of hate. It's quite common and happens every day to perfectly normal people."

Ana's jaw dropped open. "Whoa, Dr. Wells, you got me all wrong! I love Cassie and Mr. Jingles—"

"Mr. Jingles?"

"My cat—as if they were my siblings! I don't mask that!"

Dr. Wells took note of Mr. Jingles, then turned her attention back to the clueless Anastasia. "So are you telling me you don't have any special interests in anybody?"

"That's correct," Anastasia replied truthfully, or so she thought.

"And there it is," Dr. Wells proclaimed, pointing her pencil at the bewildered girl.

"There _what_ is?"

"You're hiding your true feelings from yourself."

"Look, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Anastasia sincerely answered. "Give it to me bluntly, please," she begged.

"Okay then. _Dimitri._"

Anastasia's eyes flashed. "What?" she asked slowly.

"You heard me," Dr. Wells replied smugly.

"I _heard_ what you said but I'm asking what he has to do with this," Anastasia stammered.

Dr. Wells formed a heart with her hands.

Anastasia gasped. "What are you implying?"

"I think you know perfectly well."

Anastasia shook her head fervently. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No way. No how. _Never!_"

Dr. Wells smiled triumphantly. "Your rebuttal is not supported by reasons, Miss Greene. In fact, it's just the opposite. Everything you told me today points toward your unwillingness to accept your growing feelings toward him."

Anastasia sat there for a long while, not sure if it was she or Dr. Wells who was completely nuts.

Dr. Wells broke the silence. "Also, don't be afraid to face your fears head-on. I recommend you get a therapist." Dr. Wells got up from her chair, signaling for Ana to do the same. "Mrs. Dawson works here at the precinct. She's amazing. I can have her get in touch with you if you'd like."

"Yeah, sure, great, thanks," Anastasia murmured as she stood and staggered out of the room.

**

* * *

**

Cassie returned to her dorm thinking about Ana and wondering how her day was going. Plopping down onto her bed, she pulled a notebook from her backpack and flipped through the pages, mulling over her notes. Having been stuck working on the project by herself that day—Crystal was in a rehearsal of the end-of-year college performance of Romeo and Juliet—Cassie had decided to take advantage of the opportunity. The less Crystal was on the project, the more likely they'd earn a higher grade.

Studying her notes, she began work on their report. But she found it hard to concentrate. Her mind kept drifting to her song. _"Report. Song. Report. Song. Gah! This is crazy."_ She should be working on her report, which was far more important. _"C'mon Cass. You've done this hundreds of times." _Glancing over her notes one last time, she elaborated her ideas and soon her pencil was scratching away. Until she started humming. Inspiration. She threw her report papers aside and found a clean sheet. Her pencil flew across the paper.

About 40 minutes later Cassie found herself knocking on the Loewens' door. Amanda answered. "Hi Cassie," Amanda greeted with a million-dollar smile. "What can I do for you?"

Clutching her folder, she replied, "Is Crystal here?"

Amanda leaned against the door frame. "No, she's in rehearsal for a play she'll be acting in." Smiling brightly, she continued, "She has the main female lead—Juliet."

Cassie nodded. "Awesomeness." She continued to stand there, uncertain of what to do. Staring at her folder she finally said, "I finished the song."

Amanda gaped. "Already? That's fantastic!"

"Well it's due by Friday, which is tomorrow," Cassie replied modestly.

Laughing, Amanda said, "True. Mind if I see it?" She outstretched an arm toward the folder.

"Not at all." Cassie removed several sheets from her folder and handed them to Amanda.

"Come on in and have a seat," Amanda said as she made her way to the coffee table. Plunking down on the floor, she proceeded to read through the sheets, the first of them being the lyrics. Smiling, she shot Cassie a knowing look. Then she read the music sheets, bobbing her head to the written beat.

As Amanda studied Cassie's work, Cassie glimpsed a laptop sitting on the coffee table before her. On the screen a YouTube channel was displayed. A video was on pause, indicating that Amanda must have been watching it and was interrupted by Cassie's arrival. The title of the video was "For Vee – Cinderella and Belle '...More Than I Can Be.'" Cassie squinted her eyes to read the username. SecretHeart20, was it?

"Wow," Amanda whistled, unintentionally snapping Cassie back into reality, "You wrote out the instruments' music and everything." She gave Cassie a look of admiration. "This is unbelievable."

"Really?" Cassie asked, stunned.

"Well, it could use some tweaking here and there to liven it up..."

"Of course. What do you suggest?"

Amanda scrutinized the pages. "Take out some of the violin and add more to the drums." She continued to study the papers. "And it needs one more guitar." Amanda began looking around for a writing utensil.

Cassidy, beginning to feel crestfallen, asked meekly, "That's quite a bit of tweaking; do you think we can do it?"

Snatching a pencil that was lying by the laptop, Amanda scratched a few changes on the music sheets. Glancing up, the gleam in her amber eyes revealed that it more than definitely _was_ possible. "I'll see what I can do," she replied modestly, her chestnut brown hair following forward as she leaned over her new assignment.

**O~o~O~o~O**

Grinning from ear to ear, Cassidy returned to her dorm. The revised version of the song was absolutely _perfect_. Amanda definitely had musical talent. Cassie couldn't believe how much tweaking was done and how little the song strayed from its original version. Cassie was pleased. More than pleased.

She flopped down on her bed, right onto her laptop. "Whoops, I forgot I put you there," she told her machine as she picked it up. Just when she was about to place it on the floor, a thought occurred to her. After booting up the laptop, she typed in the YouTube URL and soon was on the YouTube homepage. In the search box she typed "SecretHeart20" and pressed enter. A few videos popped onto the screen and she clicked on the SecretHeart20 channel link displayed under one of the videos. She was greeted with a whopping 85 video uploads. Scrolling through them, she finally found the one that had been on Amanda's laptop. Clicking, she sat back and watched.

The video, a cleverly made crossover staring Belle and Cinderella, told the story of two best friends always there for each other through the good times and the bad.

Cassie gathered that, from the way Amanda always spoke about Christina, Amanda probably felt like best friends with her late older sister, and that watching the video probably reminded her of the good times that they had shared together.

Cassie found herself attached to the little tribute as well. It was the perfect representation of two best friends who felt like sisters—her and Ana. She set the video on her list of favorites and saved it. Then, leaving the computer on, positioned the machine on Ana's bed.

**O~o~O~o~O**

Ana entered and smiled at Cassie, who was deeply absorbed in James Patterson's _Fourth of July_.

"Ana," Cassie said almost inaudibly, "you were right about this book."

Anastasia sat on the edge of her bed and began to untie her shoes. "Told you."

"It's gripping. I...I can't tear my eyes from it," she went on, never lifting her eyes from the book.

"I can tell."

"So how was your day?"

Anastasia didn't answer at first. She was trying not to laugh at Cassie, who appeared to be trying to shove her face into the book. "I'll tell you what. I'll answer if you can look at me."

Cassie shot Ana an apologetic look and quickly got back to her story. "There, I looked at you."

"Nice try!"

Cassie reluctantly closed the book on her right index finger, mindful to keep her place. "All right, Ana, how was your day?" she asked, making eye contact at last.

"Great!" Silence.

"That's it? You made me look for _that?_"

Anastasia fell over laughing.

"So what's going on with your eyes?" Cassie asked, suddenly dead serious.

"I don't know. Dr. Anderson doesn't know either."

Cassie frowned in disappointment. "That's not good, Ana...sorry..."

"There's nothing to be sorry about!"

Cassie studied her friend skeptically. "Gee, you seem awfully chipper for not getting any good news."

"Cassie, three little words: Live, love, laugh."

Cassidy chuckled. "Ana, you really are returning to your old self."

"When you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up."

"That is so true." Cassie reopened the novel, and thanks to her makeshift finger bookmark, quickly found her place.

Anastasia took a sidelong glance at the laptop on her bed. "Hey, Cassie, I think you left your laptop on. It seems to be on sleep mode."

"I did?" Cassie asked innocently. "Wake it up, I guess...but don't yell 'fire!' That won't do any good."

Ana tapped the touch-sensitive pad and soon the black screen filled with images. "Yeah, you did. And on a YouTube video."

"Oh yeah..." Cassie played dumb, "What video was I watching?"

"I dunno... 'For Vee - Cinderella and Belle '...More Than I Can Be.'" Ana clicked the replay button and soon was watching the video.

Cassie studied her friend's expressions as she watched. Sometimes she'd smile or even laugh, and other times she'd just plain get teary-eyed.

The video stopped, and Ana turned her eyes to Cassie and gave her a huge hug. "You raise me up too, Cass."

After their embrace, Cassie exclaimed, "Oh! I wrote my song."

"Really? Let's see it!" Ana said eagerly.

"I actually left some of my papers with Amanda so that the Loewens can memorize the music for next weekend. I only have the lyrics and my guitar picks."

"Well I only meant the lyr—guitar? Awesomeness! Lemme see!"

**O~o~O**

The day had gone well for Ana, in spite of her increasing colorblindness and Dr. Wells' love insinuations. Settling into bed, Ana fell asleep thinking about Cassidy's song, her misfortunate eyes, and Dimitri.


End file.
